A Man's Crown, A Woman's Glory
by VioletLites
Summary: Julia Rochelle receives word that the Mikaelson's have returned to New Orleans, but much has changed since 1919, and their family is not the same as it once was. Sequel to "A Father's Pride, A Mother's Joy."
1. Chapter 1: The Passage of Time

**Welcome to "A Man's Crown, A Woman's Glory!" This is the sequel to "A Father's Pride, A Mother's Joy," so if you haven't read that yet, I suggest you do that first as it will make all of this make much more sense. There's also a one shot part of this verse called "In My Memory, Her Joy Blinds Me," which isn't a necessary read but may give some insight to the reader as well. **

**Anyway! I am super excited for this story. I've got most of it mapped out already but left some room for my brain to do it's plot bunny thing. There are some twists and turns ahead for us all. *smirk* Please let me know your thoughts! I love getting people's reactions. They help keep me motivated.**

**Thank you to all of those of you that have followed me through the first installment and into this one. I really appreciate all of the love and support. **

**Happy reading!**

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I can safely say that I will never have a traditional family. The patchwork quilt of relations built on a foundation of choice grows ever larger, but over time it has become reinforced with ribbons of blood.

Many lifetimes ago, when I was still mortal, I left my roots behind, only to find myself in New Orleans long before is was much more than a French colony. As the years passed, I became attached to my benefactors...the Original Family, the Mikaelson's.

Rebekah was my sister, friend, and confidant.

"_We girls must stick together."_

Elijah challenged my mind and made me feel at home.

"_Come now Julia. There is more to life in this family than cleaning up after us."_

"_Oh, so I am part of the family am I?"_

"_Marcellus has obviously chosen you, and he is part of us more than some of our blood relatives. You were right when you said choice was powerful."_

Marcellus was my son.

"_I wish to call you mother."_

As long as I live, I don't think any other moment will compare with the love and feeling of completeness I felt in that moment. To know that this young boy trusted and loved me. To know that he looked to me for his needs...to learn and to grow. That first taste of maternal instinct only grew stronger over the years.

And then there was Niklaus. Klaus. The one I feared, respected, came to call friend. The one that I grew to love.

"_We have found a home in New Orleans. And we have found a home in you. So thank you."_

My chest constricts when I think of the last happy moment I spent with him.

"_I'll see you later tonight," he said it like it was a promise._

But then Mikael came and everything fell apart.

"_Marcellus."_

"_No, no!"_

"_Julia…"_

"_I'll come find you."_

I never got the chance to go find him. Any of them. Marcellus had betrayed us. He had called the Destroyer to New Orleans and then chose to take the city for himself.

It was all exactly what Celeste Dubois wanted.

She had been Elijah's lover lifetimes ago. She knew of my abilities to see pieces of the future, so when she was killed, she blamed me for not helping her.

"_You see and do nothing!"_

Not one to be taken down easily, she found a way to survive. She found a way to come back and her first order of business was to tie me to the Mikaelson's family life time.

"_You will live long enough to regret your loyalty to them."_

Now, a couple hundred years later, I still don't regret that choice, although I have endured enough heartache to make me regret other things. I regret not going after the Mikaelson's in 1919, and yet at the same time...even that choice caused me to gain more. It enabled me to prepare for their return. It enabled me to pave a path back to the throne.

In my long life I have come to realize that the passage of time is not what makes you feel old. It is the passage of life.

"Jacque?"

He coughs, his form frail in the bed, his eyes sunken and his hair white with his years. "Julia…" he rasps as his hand twitches on the bed and I know he wishes for me to hold it. I take his hand in mine and the tears stinging my eyes fall one at a time. "Don't cry, M'lady."

I huff a watery laugh. From the night I met him, all those decades ago when he came for me at the compound that has since become the headquarters of Marcel's empire, he has called me "M'lady." Over the years it has become an endearment. "I'm not crying."

He smiles slightly. "You could never cry." He touches the ring that adorns my left hand. "Not for me."

I hold his hand tighter. "Do you doubt that I do in fact love you?"

"I know that you do. But I have never diluted myself to believe that you were ever _in love_ with me." He takes a shaky breath. "And that's okay. I was in love with my Ida. And she was in love with me. Having a chance to love again was worth it. If for no other reason then Lana, it was worth it."

I smile sadly. "Rest Jacque."

"I will rest when I am dead." He looks up to the ceiling. "It won't be long now."

I swallow, knowing he's right and not wanting to protest with a half hearted lie.

His old eyes twinkle at me. "May the Queen rest in peace and put a good word in for me with the Devil."

I roll my eyes. "Whoever started that phrase will not be getting my recommendation."

His laugh turns to a cough.

"Alright Jacque," I say when it stops. "No more talk. Let's just sit together for awhile, Hmm?"

He nods and closes his eyes. I sit with him for a while longer before I hear the last exhale of air exit his body, and his skin turns cold.

No. The passage of time doesn't make me feel old. It's the passage of life.


	2. Chapter 2: The Nameless Woman

**Alrighty! Let's start to get this moving along a bit. The first few chapters are going to mostly set up some stuff. There will be some information about Julia's life during the time that Klaus is not in New Orleans and such. I'll try not to keep the reunion too far off in the future. **

**Thank you for all the follows and favorites. I also really love your reviews and look forward to them. It's nice to hear what you guys think. So thank you!**

**I'm going to try to keep a balance here but I think the first few chapters especially are going to be mostly angst. Honestly plenty of angst will be had throughout but I'm going to try to put some cute and more fluffy things in as well. I do try to fit in requests if you guys have them and I can fit into the plot without it being too off the wall so you can DM me or tell me in the reviews if you have something you'd like to see. **

**Thank you again. Writing is pretty therapeutic for me so I really appreciate the support. **

**Okay then! Enjoy!**

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If you live long enough, and quietly enough, you eventually begin to fade into obscurity. Where I was once a known name among the supernatural communities of the quarter, I am now a faded memory. Mikael killed many in 1919. All that was left was Marcel, myself, a handful of witches, and the crescent pack that took me in as family.

As a result, the Mikaelson's and their influence was all but forgotten. And that included the influence of The Woman of Peace, as some had once come to call me. As the years passed, and then decades more, one title became many.

The Woman of Peace. The King's Crown. The Nameless Woman.

And with that came a whisper… "May the Queen rest in peace, and put in a good word for me with the Devil."

Apparently 70 plus years is enough time for the names of Klaus Mikaelson and Julia Rochelle to disappear. Apparently the memories of the people are short. But my memory is long.

"Mrs. Kenner? I've heard a disconcerting rumor."

I look at the man who is but a child compared to my years. I remember when he was born. I remember when many of the members of the pack were. Thus is the passage of life, and I grow ever older and wiser while my face remains unchanged. "What have you heard?"

"That Brynne Deveraux intends to place a curse on us all."

"Deveraux? As I recall they are a decently powerful witch line in the quarter. But I haven't heard anything to make me believe that Brynne would…" I pause. History has taught me that the name and face of a witch means nothing. "Is she working alone?"

He shakes his head. "My understanding is that Marcel Gerard is enabling her to enact it."

My jaw clenches and I have to stop my eye from twitching. I never stopped thinking of Marcel as my son, but he is making it increasingly difficult to have forgiveness of his betrayal at the ready. If it weren't for his selfishness, our family would still be intact, he would be happy with Rebekah, and Klaus…

I grab a pen and paper and quickly write:

_Marcellus, _

_I have heard a most disturbing rumor of a Deveraux nature. Should this rumor prove to be true, you may expect a most unsavory reaction. _

_Always and Forever, _

_Your Mother_

"Take this to the compound and ensure it gets to Marcel."

"Yes ma'am."

But my message goes unheeded.

When the Deveraux witch begins I am there. "Celeste," I say in greeting.

She smirks the same smirk I have seen on her previous faces. "Well well. If it isn't Julia Rochelle, the Original whore."

I scoff. "As I recall, you were with an Original long before I was. Do not try to break me down with petty name calling. We are both far too old for it."

"Hmm. I must agree with that I suppose." Her power knocks me down. "You will not stop me. I made you a promise the last time I saw you."

My mind goes back to that night. The night that she ripped my sight away from me and blinded my third eye. The night that I truly lost everyone I loved.

"_I am going to rip your little family apart, piece by piece. First I am going to destroy Marcel's love for you. Then I will rip Klaus and Rebekah asunder. I will rip out Elijah's hope bit by bit. And then, just when you think there's a shred of hope for you and your lover, I am going to torture you both using the other, until all that is left is pain."_

She smiles and it makes me feel physically sick. "Oh good. You do remember. You know what the best part about this is? It's that I didn't have to do anything to make Marcellus turn against you like this. You did that all on your own. This whole curse? It was his idea."

As she enacts the curse, the power in the air buzzes like electricity. My stomach drops out when my people begin to turn. Bones cracking, screaming erupting, children sobbing as their parents turn before their eyes.

"No! What are you doing to them?"

She laughs as she finishes. "I have reversed their plight. Your little Marcel has become quite the mastermind has he not? To make them wolves everyday except for the night of the full moon? What a strategy! It keeps them from being a threat to him and hurts you immeasurably."

The she-wolf who is currently alpha leaps forward between me and the witch in a protective stance. Celeste's smile just grows ever more disconcerting. I crawl forward and thread my fingers through the fur of her thick coat. "It's okay, Little Devil," I whisper. "We will fix this."

Marcel's vampires run us out of town and into the Bayou. But if my son thinks he can do this to my people, he is sorely mistaken.

I march into the compound with as much grace as I can muster. I pride myself on my control, but the obvious celebratory mood of the vampires in the courtyard puts me on edge. Their current 1990s fashion doesn't make me feel any better. I detest it.

"Mother! Welcome home!" Marcel says with a grin.

My eyes narrow. "A word, Marcellus."

His smile shifts. "Anything you have to say to me you can say right here."

"I warned you Marcel. I warned you not to move against me."

"I moved against my enemy."

"No!" I say firmly. "You moved against the Crescents. My family."

"As I recall, I was once your family."

"And as I recall you renounced me the day you decided not to come home from war. Did you not call them your family?! Did you not think that he would tell me exactly what occurred?" I am careful not to name the man we speak of.

"I came home. I was the good son. And still you left. You could've stood by me. But you didn't."

"You didn't give me a choice Marcellus!"

"Family is choice! You taught me that. And you chose the wolves. You chose to ally with the enemy. And worse. You chose to add to their ranks." He smiles cruelly. "How is your daughter by the way?"

It's as though the temperature in the room drops suddenly. I step forward and stand in Marcel's space. His daywalkers stand at attention around us. "Tell your lackeys to stand down, and I won't hurt them," I say lowly. "And you know I can Marcel. You've backed me into a corner and I have stood against vampires more than ten times their age."

A small hand gesture from him makes them all relax their stances ever so slightly.

"Let me make one thing irrevocably clear. Choosing to have my daughter does not make you any less my son. Whether it was your choice or not, she is your family too. And you have acted against us. And I will not be idle Marcellus. No. I will reverse what you have done to my pack, and I will stand by and watch happily when the true king comes back for his throne. And when it's all said and done, and he has stripped you of every title you've ever stolen, I will have you on your knees begging for my forgiveness. And then maybe. Just maybe. I'll grant it to you."

I turn on my heel and I walk calmly from the building, vampire eyes on me, yet they don't dare move. I have unnerved their leader, who they never see unnerved, and it scares them. When I'm out of sight, I smile.

I may be the so called Nameless Woman, but I am certainly not forgotten.

I reenter the bayou and comfort the young ones. But children are resilient and they adjust amazingly quickly to the new situation. It must help that they have all known me all of their lives. I smile as I watch them play by the water. It brings to mind the first time I sat at the water's edge, not so far from here.

_Barely weeks after the wolves had come for me, I sit by the water in the Bayou and fiddle absentmindedly with the moon charm Lana had gifted me should I ever be in need. She's been gone for a couple of months now, and I can feel the mourning among her pack. Jacque Kenner does his best to lead them in her absence, as he was next in line to do so. _

"_You are afraid," Jacque says as he joins me on the bank._

"_Is it that obvious?"_

"_Maybe not to everyone else. But I know that pain." I look at him questioningly. He smiles gently. "The pain of losing a loved one. And as I understand it, in a way, you've lost many." _

_I nod. "A friend. A sister." I swallow. "A love and a son."_

_He nods sympathetically. "I lost a wife."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_It is the way of things. Life goes on. But it does leave me in a predicament." He turns toward me and his expression takes on a familiar impassiveness. "You see, Ida and I did not have any children, which means my line ends with me. With Lana's passing and as alpha, it is important that doesn't stay the case."_

_I match his tone and energy. "I appreciate when negotiations are frank and upfront Mr. Kenner."_

_The tiny smile disappears as quickly as it appears. "I am proposing a mutually beneficial arrangement Ms. Rochelle."_

_I stand and slowly begin to pace as I consider it. I regard him thoughtfully. "I am not a werewolf. What makes you think the pack would accept that?"_

"_Lana trusted you. She spoke highly of you. She gifted you the crescent beacon," he gestures to the necklace I still wear. "She would not have done any of that if she did not consider you to be one of us. The pack will accept you, and any children you bear. In return, you gain the loyalty of my people for the entirety of your life. Once an alpha, always an alpha."_

"_Or the wife of one in this case."_

"_Your circumstances at the moment dictate to me that you must at least be considering it." _

_I sigh and look out to the water. "You have that protective streak in you that all wolves seem to."_

"_As do you."_

_I look back at him. We are both in need of something we can provide for the other. As Klaus once said, I am nothing if not a strategist. So I do the only thing I can. "I accept." _

I smile to myself. I do not regret the decision I made then. With it, I gained a good father for a daughter. The she-wolf at my side lays her head in my lap and my hands run through her fur. "We will get through this Little Devil."

And although she can't respond to me in words, I have known her since before she was born. We have been through much together already. We will get through this too. I just have to continue my preparations for the return of the true king.


	3. Chapter 3: The Strength of Our Children

**To answer a guest review ****question: I am going to probably keep a good section of cannon. But Julia's presence is obviously going to change things and eventually I'll go in probably a completely different direction. We shall see what happens. :D I'm as much along for the ride as you are. **

**In other news, I am on a roll. LOL. I've got several chapters on the edge of being ready to go so y'all are lucky I'm going to be posting a decent amount. *knocks on wood* I've probably jinxed myself now. **

**Shout out to Kylie Winchester, Sam, Guest, and Breezzylife12 for your reviews! I'm not terribly great at acknowledging but I am trying to get better. Know that you are appriciated. :D**

**Okay! Read on!**

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Rarely do I enter the quarter these days. I tend to find my days are now filled with caring for the pups in the Bayou and doing my best to keep them from falling under their pack's curse. But I am never idle, and there is an occasion to enter the quarter from time to time.

I visit the place they call the garden, and speak with the vampires there who dessicate. Some are there for good reason and I make them no promises. But there are others whose offenses are less than deserving of such a punishment, and to them I speak of freedom when the time is right. They are starving for more than just the few drops of blood I am able to provide. They are also starving for interaction, for conversation.

But today, my business has less to do with the vampires, and more to do with the witches.

I head to the chapel and sit patiently before Father Keiran joins me. "I wasn't expecting you today, Mrs. Kenner."

"Surely by now, you expect the unexpected," I say with a smile.

"Quite," he responds. "What brings you here today?"

My face becomes serious. "A rather grim rumor I am afraid. I've heard that the witches are intending to follow through on a ritual of a barbaric nature."

He nods grimly. "I have heard the same. I do not know how much water the rumor holds."

"I fear it may hold more than either of us would care to believe. My sources tell me that four young girls have already been chosen." I steady my breath. "They are children, Father Keiran. They are children being lied to by their own families."

His hands fold together in front of him and I know he prays to a higher power that it isn't true. "What do you propose to do?"

"I propose that we stop it. I cannot sit by while they murder their own flesh and blood."

"You have come to me with this matter. What do you expect me to do?"

I look at him. "I expect you to have a word with Marcellus. You've done very well keeping the peace with him, protecting your own kind in a city that is not so giving for humanity."

"I do not think I would be so brave were it not for your support Mrs. Kenner. You are a human with experience in the dangerous world that we have now found ourselves in. Your expertise has been invaluable to the organization I am apart of."

"Your input and help has been most beneficial to me as well, Father Keiran. I am glad to have someone I can rely on when the time comes. And make no mistake my friend. Change is an inevitable part of life, and we will have our work cut out for us."

On my way home, I walk through the cemetery amongst the tourists and the mourners. My eyes scan the faces of those I know to be the witches among them, but I keep my head down and don't draw attention to myself. I don't know which of them is Celeste, but I know that she is here. I know that this lunacy of the Harvest Ritual must be in some part her doing. I don't know what her plan is, but the centuries have taught me that she always has one. But I know that the moment she slips, I will be there with a sword at her throat.

Days later I receive word of the events that transpired. Marcel heeded Father Keiran's warning about the witch's children, but he was too late to save them all. Three of the four chosen were slaughtered, but not the fourth. Davina, I learn her name to be.

From what I hear, my son has taken her in almost as his own. Protecting and sheltering her from the witches that lied to her. But it isn't long before he turns her into a weapon. The magic conducted in the quarter becomes forbidden nearly overnight. Tensions rise and fear floods the sacred grounds. The smell of desperation permeates the air.

My heart goes out to the poor girl that is caught in the middle of it all. I wonder what on earth her mother must have been thinking, and what she must be thinking and feeling now. I don't understand how any mother could subject their child to the knife the way Davina was.

"_Lana Nicole! Careful!" I am quick to remove my five year old daughter from the edge of the ravine that we decided to go for a quiet day away from the cares of pack leadership. _

"_I want to watch the rocks fall," my daughter complains, the stubborn set in her face looks more familiar everyday. _

"_Well that's all well in good until you end up falling too."_

"_Perhaps we should head down to the water and I can show you something even better than rocks falling," Jacque says from his perch on a boulder not far away. His hands busily whittling away on a firm branch. _

_Lana's eyes light up with curiosity. "Like what?!"_

_Jacque smiles and reaches for her. I follow behind them as we begin to head down the steep his to the water's edge. "It's called 'skipping.' If you throw a rock just right, it flies right across the water."_

"_Really?" Her arms are wrapped tightly around his neck and her soft brown hair is falling messily out of her braid. Her sweet innocence makes my heart clench in overwhelming love. _

"_Really," Jacque says, his fatherly smile growing ever bigger and ever fonder. He sets her down among the rocks near the water's edge and sits on his heels to he at her eye level. "See if you can find me a flat rock about the size of my palm. Just a bit bigger than your hand. Find as many as you can."_

"_Ok!" She nods firmly in agreement and scampers off to complete her task. _

_The warm air wraps around me and the sounds of the bayou bring me a peace that I relish in while I can. Jacque being the alpha doesn't make our lives very easy and the ever looming threat of Celeste never strays far from my mind. _

"_Daddy! Are these good?" She runs back with a small pile of rocks nestled in her shirt like basket. _

_He leans down and examines the rocks. "Yes, siree. I do believe these will do quite nicely. Now watch and learn Butter-cub." _

_The nick name makes me smile and roll my eyes. One day she is going to go through a phase where she hates that little pet name. As soon as she figures out what puns are, I am sure. And knowing Jacque, it'll just make him call her that even more. _

_They spend the next hour or so skipping rocks across the water. Lana laughs in delight every time it happens. She grows frustrated at her own failed attempts until she finally manages to make one of the rocks skip just once. A small victory that Jacque reacts to as if it is the greatest accomplishment of mankind since the beginning of time. _

"_Did you see Mommy? Did you see!?"_

_My smile grows wider as she throws herself into my arms. "I did indeed, Little Devil. You'll be a right master at that before long."_

I can't help the few tears that flow from me. A mother's protective instincts should override any loyalties to magic or otherwise. I worked very hard to give my daughter the most normal childhood I could muster. I wonder what Davina's early years were like? Did she ever learn to skip stones with her parents?

I sit heavily in my chair and remember my beautiful Lana Nicole's childish laughter. I remember the simple joys she found in the smallest of things. And I remember her teen years as that stubborn streak grew ever more persistent the older she got.

"_I'll be home by midnight! I promise!"_

"_The answer is no, Lana, " Jacque says firmly. _

"_But Dad! I'm almost seventeen! You can't keep me locked away forever. I just want to go spend time at the lake." She looks at me across the room. "Mom! Please."_

"_We already told you. The answer is no. It's not safe to go swimming late at night." _

"_Aghhhh," she exclaims in frustration before storming to her room. _

_Jacque and I both sigh. "I suppose we should have expected this," he says. _

_I snort a laugh. "Between her parents and the blood of a wolf, yes. It was only a matter of time."_

_He nods. "Absolutely. A stubborn mother and a headstrong father and a wolfish spirit just waiting to be released. Is it wrong that I hope it never is?"_

"_You want to save her pain. But I think we both know that it is likely inevitable." _

_We were right to worry. Lana snuck out that night and came home distraught and crying. Her friend Nora and her were arguing by the water's edge, though Lana never told me exactly why. I could guess it had to do with a boy. But Nora lost her footing when it began to get physical. _

"_Mom?" her voice shakes as I hold her on her bed as she cries until there's nothing left. _

"_Yes?"_

"_Tell me it will hurt."_

_I sigh and close my eyes. "I wish I could tell you it won't."_

_She shakes her head. "I want it to hurt. I deserve it. I killed her. I killed her." Her sobs return tenfold and my heart breaks for her. _

"_Listen to me. Listen." I hold her face in my hands. "Look at me, Lana Nicole. I know that it wasn't your intention to take her life. But it happened, and you are going to have to learn to come to terms with that and I know that's not easy. I know. But listen. No matter what, you do not deserve to feel pain. You do not get to punish yourself for things that are done. Live and let live, Little Devil. You are stronger than the mistakes you make."_

_Her tears begin to dry again. She nods. _

"_You will rise above this," I tell her. "You are the strongest person I know. You can endure more than you know."_

Sixteen is too young an age to become subject to the horrors of the world. Unfortunately, the world we live in does not consider age. Our children see blood too early. They know death too early. And though we do our best to shield them, the best we can do is prepare them to be strong enough for it. To teach them to use it to become stronger in the end.


	4. Chapter 4: Nature's Loophole

**Alright people! We've got a reunion coming up just around the corner. I am excite. But before that, we have this. **

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Over the years, I have found writing to be therapeutic. Revisiting my memories and putting them to paper ensures that there will be something of myself left behind should I ever manage to find an end to this long life. I am at my desk, writing of such things when Eve enters with a serious expression on her face. "Ms. Julia?"

I look up at her. "Yes dear?"

"I bring news from the quarter. I don't know where to begin."

"Must be some news then," I say, trying to put her at ease. "Just say it dear. If I need more explanation then we will get to that."

She takes a deep breath. "Klaus is in town."

My heart stops. My brain forgets how to breathe. After all this time...Klaus… back in NOLA. "Are you sure?" I ask softly.

She nods. "And Elijah has followed him. And there's more. It's impossible but...the witches seem to believe it and they even risked magic to prove it. I don't know how but…"

I don't know what could be more shocking than the brother's return, but clearly it has her more shaken then even the arrival of the Originals. "Eve. Just say it."

"Andrea Labonair has returned...and she is pregnant. She's pregnant by Klaus Mikaelson." Her statement takes me by surprise. All of the feelings that rise in me are undefined. I swallow the lump in my throat as she continues. "She goes by the name Hayley Marshall now. The witches are saying it's one of nature's loopholes. They are trying to use her to get the Mikaelson's to overthrow Marcel."

My eyes snap to focus.

"They are holding her life and that of her child hostage?"

She nods at me.

My hand rubs over my face as I begin to process everything she just told me. I begin to pace the room. "Okay. Let me see if I understand. If I am considering the big picture, and I believe I am, then the witches discovered Andrea, or Hayley, was pregnant with the child of an Original and decided to make use of the information. Marcel has Davina, and it is no secret that the witches are more concerned with completing their horrid ritual than they are with the life of their own children so I don't put much stock in them protecting what will surely be seen as a devil child."

"So you believe the girl really is pregnant by Klaus? Even though it's impossible?"

My pacing stops. "It's not impossible. Nothing is in this world."

My teeth clench together. This development is entirely unexpected, and I don't exactly know how I am going to handle it. Do I continue to stay hidden? As of this moment, the pregnant werewolf has become the most important person in the world. How can I best protect her? And the child? And I can't forget Davina. This development meddles in how I was going to handle that situation.

Klaus...a child. My mind drifts to my own child.

"_Push!"_

"_Arggggh," my voice cries out with pain and exertion. My hand clutches Jacque's tightly. _

"_You got this Julia. Just a little more," he says, doing everything he can to be encouraging. _

"_Oh shut up!" I cry in frustration. _

_Finally, a baby's cries fill the room and I collapse back in exhaustion. My heart is pounding in anticipation. "It's a girl," the midwife says with a broad smile. _

"_Let me see her!" I reach for my child and when she finally settles into my arms I sigh in relief. Her bright blue eyes peer up at me as she settles into her mother's warmth. "Oh hello, my little miracle."_

_I laugh in pure joy. "Aren't you just the most precious thing." My finger trails softly over soft face and tiny features. So young and yet already so strong and curious. _

_Jacque watches us from a distance, a soft and hesitant smile on his face. "What will you name her, M'lady?"_

_My eyes are riveted on the small bundle in my arms. I swallow the tears that are beginning to form in my eyes. "Lana. Lana Nicole." My forehead comes to rest upon hers. I sigh and look toward Jacque. "Come meet your heir," I say with a tired smile. _

_He comes to sit by us on the bed and looks down at the little girl who has fallen fast asleep. "I am so happy to meet you little Lana Nicole. I promise that I will do the best I can to be a good father to you. I promise." _

_It's the last thing I hear before I too, am fast asleep. _

I sigh to myself as I sit heavily back at my desk. "Ms. Julia? What are you going to do?"

I look up at her and take a deep breath. "Family is power, Eve. There is power in the pack. There is power in our choice of companions. This child, it has a family. If this Hayley truly is Andrea Labonair then we are that family. And by extension, the Mikaelson's are our family as well. They will need our support."

Eve looks at me slightly startled. "I understand the need to care for Andrea and what is hers, but to extend our arms to the Mikaelson's as well?"

"You forget how old I am Eve. I was here when the Mikaelsons ruled this city. I was here when Marcel rose to power. I was here before Marcel was a vampire, and was simply an abandoned human boy. They make good allies. And we need allies." I stop and take a breath. "I just need to decide how best to approach this."

Eve nods and takes her leave, knowing that I need to be left to my thoughts.

For decades I have often imagined what I might say when Klaus returned. I knew that he would. I knew that one day, I would be able to see him again. But now the opportunity is here. He is back. My husband is long dead. My daughter is…

My head falls into my hands and I breathe deeply.

Marcel has changed so much since those days. I have changed so much. I can only assume that Klaus has changed as well. Nothing has remained of that old life in which I had grown to be so happy and comfortable. All of it, taken away by selfishness and treachery.

My eyes lift to the ceiling.

I have often wondered how I would dare broach the subject of how Rebekah and Marcellus called for the Destroyer. How Mikael's appearance was no accident. I had promised long ago not to lie to Klaus and yet with this...I might just have to. And it's not the only thing I carry with me now. I have no way of knowing how Klaus will react to the information regarding my late husband, Jacque Kenner, or of my daughter. But I also don't know how he is reacting to this new child of his. I do not know what his relationship to the girl is. Is it serious? Was their coupling a one time thing or a drawn out affair? Is she in love with him?

I clench my hands and press down the jealousy rising in me. So many years and I still feel so strongly.

I could avoid him for awhile. I could pretend I'm not here any longer. But in the end, that will give more leverage to Celeste than I care to give her. She is expecting me to crumble. She has done everything in her power to separate our family. She has done everything she can to make us weak.

There's nothing for it. The sooner I can see Klaus the better. But…

There are some things that are going to need to stay quiet for a while longer. Some secrets I must keep until the time we can really sit down and discuss it.

_Lana's laughter drifts through the house as she becomes more and more adept at toddling around on her newfound legs. It amazes me how quickly she went from barely being able to stand on her own to running from place to place as if she'd been doing it every day of her short life. _

_She rams into my leg at full speed and grins up at me. I laugh. "Well hello there, Little Devil." I hoist her up onto my hip. "Before you know it, you just might be flying around here at werewolf speed." I kiss her nose and she giggles. _

_Her hand reaches for the crescent necklace that hasn't left my neck since her namesake gave it to me. Her other hand clutches at the vervain necklace that has rested there for far longer. It makes me think of a time when Rebekah and I were close. Long before Marcel was grown and Klaus knew who I was._

I shake the memory away and get back to my thoughts.

In the meantime, it would be best if no one knew that Klaus and I had reunited. The longer Celeste thinks we are divided the better.

Of course, all of this hinges on how Klaus will react to me. It has been so long. So much has changed. He may very well hate me. He may very well want nothing to do with me. In which case, none of it would matter much anymore anyway.

Decision made, I stand and lean in my window wishing not for the first time that I still had my third eye. That extra insight would be very helpful right about now. But it is not a luxury I have, and all I can do is hope that Klaus and I can at least cross paths as friends.


	5. Chapter 5: At Long Last

**Finally! **

**The song here is "At Last" - the version by Etta James. I felt it was appropriate. Also, I find stories without happy endings to be somewhat pointless. I'll even take a bitter sweet ending in a pinch but I am rooting for these characters at this point so I totally want this to end happily. Doesn't mean we won't all suffer a little before we get there. So sorry not sorry for that. ;P**

**Please let me know if this chapter meets expectations. Thank you *love and hugs***

**Happy reading!**

* * *

My inquiries lead me to a small bed and breakfast that Klaus is currently staying at. It isn't difficult to get into the room. My heart races and my hands shake as I prepare myself for when he returns. I've missed him so much and yet, I am terrified of how he'll react to me.

I smirk when I notice the decanter with liquid courage in it. It shouldn't surprise me that he has alcohol on hand. I pour myself a glass and sip on it as I head to stand in the window, looking down on the mostly quiet street below.

Soft music drifts through the window from the room above me. I take another sip and remember when Lana was young and I would sing that same song.

"_At last my love has come along." Lana giggles at me as I sing dramatically at her from across the kitchen counter. "My lonely days are over and life is like a song, oh yeah."_

_She tries to join me, but she is young, barely 9 years old, and the lyrics aren't as familiar to her as they are to me. "At last the skies above are blue. My heart was wrapped up in clover the night I looked at you."_

_I pull at my daughter's hand as we begin to dance in the kitchen, the voice of Etta James over the radio making mine pale in comparison. "I found a dream that I could speak to, a dream that I can call my own."_

"_I found a thrill to press my cheek to, a thrill I've never known, oh yeah." As the music builds I begin to twirl her around and she laughs, her smile lighting up her whole face. _

My heart clenches in my chest at how beautiful and carefree I remember her at that moment. Before she lost her innocence. Before she truly knew the dangers of the world and just exactly what it meant to be a werewolf.

_You smiled, you smiled oh and then the spell was cast_

_And here we are in Heaven_

_For you are mine _

_At last_

The violins sail by on the wind as the song comes to a close and I take another sip of my drink.

The click of the door opening behind me causes my spine to stiffen ever so slightly. I dare not breathe. I dare not move. I hear the shuffle of feet and the clink of keys being tossed in a bowl. And then nothing.

He is as frozen behind me as I am at the window.

I take a deep breath and speak without turning. "It's funny how things change. Isn't it?"

"You lied to me," he says in response.

I turn and look at him for the first time in decades. The leather jacket he wears gives me the impression of armor. His barely guarded expression hides anger, and hurt too. "When did I lie?" I ask.

"You said you'd come find me."

_I look at Klaus and his eyes burn into mine as comprehension dawns on his face. "Marcellus," I whisper. I turn and begin to run back._

_"Julia no!" Klaus blocks my path and I reach my hand up toward his face._

_"You have to run." He shakes his head and I speak in as firm a tone as I can. "I'll come find you."_

_I kiss him firmly and he drinks me in like a man without water in the desert. I pull myself away and it hurts so much because I can taste it. I can taste that nameless feeling radiating back at me from him. "Run."_

I swallow at the memory. "I could not have known what would happen after that. I did not know that my place would be here."

His eyes narrow at me. "With Marcellus. Taking over everything I built."

I slowly exhale the anger suddenly rising in my chest. "Marcel made a grave mistake. An error that I could not leave unchecked. I did not stay with him. He forced my hand. So here I stayed. And here I prepared." I sigh. "But no amount of preparation has made me ready for this conversation," I nearly mumble under my breath.

"Then leave. I'm in no mood for more lies today."

I study him. He's defensive. He knows. "You've raised a child before. Despite his flaws I think that he turned out well enough."

He looks at me sharply. "Whatever you have heard, it's not possible. It's not mine."

"You can tell yourself that all you want Klaus. But that doesn't change the facts. It doesn't erase the truth that Hayley is carrying YOUR child."

"And what would you know about it!?"

"Hayley is a Crescent. I was there the day she was born. I have been here for years, watching and paying attention, building relationships. Waiting for you to come home. I may not be quite as old as you but I am older than most of the supernatural entities in this community and I am not ignorant. In all my years I have learned that nothing can truly be called impossible. There is always a way around something. Always a loophole. Always."

"Say I accept the child is mine then. What then? I raise them as I did Marcel? Only to have them turn against me and take my place among ashes? To betray me for power?"

"Every king needs an heir, Klaus." By this time we have moved enough in the room that we are standing face to face with barley a yard of space between us. "Marcel likes to pretend that he is king. He likes to pretend that the "M" he stamps everywhere is his mark. He likes to pretend that he has power. But he gave up true power."

"Is that what I am to you then? Your king?" his demeanor becomes amused. It's been a long time but our conversations still come easily enough.

I smile. "I bow to no one."

His slight smirk would barely be noticeable if I hadn't once known him so well. "No. You never did." He pauses and looks at me thoughtfully. He backtracks in his mind to a previous comment. "You were there when Hayley was born?"

I nod, "Yes."

"I thought that the wolves were run out of here long ago."

"No," I smirk. "They may not be exhibiting full strength but they are here. And they are ready."

His eyes shift down to my hands. The wedding ring I had long since moved to my right hand is glinting in the light as I absentmindedly turn it with my left. I drop my hands and clear my throat.

He looks up at me questioning. "Rather uncommon to wear a wedding ring on the regular isn't it? And on the right hand."

"The mark of a widow," I say softly.

Any camaraderie we were beginning to build again vanishes like a puff of smoke. "So that's it. You found someone and you got married."

"That's not why, Klaus. I didn't love him."

"And yet he's gone and you still wear the ring." His hand gestures to mine.

"Out of respect for the dead," I say sternly. "I married the Crescent Pack Alpha. To continue wearing this ring is a sign of respect and a mark to my people. I may not be one of them by blood but I am still a leader among them. I am still a face that they have all grown up seeing and trusting." His gaze turns calmer and he begins to understand. I can't help the slight burst of laughter that comes from me. "I am nothing if not a strategist. Remember?"

His smile grows slowly, and with it, the easy camaraderie begins to settle over us again. "I remember."

I swallow and smile in return as I step forward. I find my arms wrapping around his neck as we move into each other's space. His arms come around me and my eyes close as I take in his scent. Everything about him is warm and familiar. I can't help the tension that suddenly leaves my body. For the first time in a century, I feel safe and content.

I feel his face burrow into my neck and his words are muffled. "You're afraid to tell me something. I can see it in your eyes."

My arms slide down his shoulders and chest and I pull back enough to look at him. "The path back to the throne is not an easy one. Even with the support of my pack, the garden vampires and the others I've managed to employ...it will be messy. Nothing about any of this will be easy."

"Nothing we've ever done was easy." His face sets into one of business and he pulls away from me. He leans against the desk and looks at me thoughtfully. "Go on then. Offer me your deal. That's what you have isn't it? Another deal between devils?"

For a moment it feels like I'm back in his old study. He's sitting at his desk as I give counsel about fear and reverence. I find myself pulling a coin from my pocket and examining it in my hand. "I propose an alliance. I think we can both agree that while Marcel has done well ruling the vampires, he is lacking the vision of the bigger picture. The vision of a culturally diverse and cooperative city, ruled by progress and a champion of it."

I look up at him. "I propose to offer you the support of the Crescent wolves, the vampires I have the loyalty of and the random alliances I have built over the years. In return, I want equality in the quarter. I want the wolves to be free to enter. I want the vampires to respect life. I want the humans to have a voice. I want the witches to know their limits."

"A tall order," he responds.

"One I would only ever ask of the one man on earth capable of delivering."

He huffs a laugh. "I'm not Kol. Flattery will do you no good. Not with me. But then again you know that."

"I do. This is not about appealing to your ego. It's about keeping my promise of telling you the truth."

"So that is the deal then?"

"That's the deal. If you agree to continue this discussion, then I think it's best we have a seat. There's a lot we will have to cover in a short amount of time. The longer we can keep everyone from knowing that we are working together, the better. There is something you need to know."

He nods once and sets another chair across the desk before sitting in his own. I take his cue and sit opposite of him. He leans back in his seat, the picture of nonchalance. "Well then," he smirks and rests his elbows on the arm rests before his fingertips come together. "Do tell."

"What do you remember about a witch named Celeste?"

It takes several hours for me to lay it all out. Save for the secret I fear telling him. I pray that doesn't come back to haunt me when he learns the truth.


	6. Chapter 6: Wheels Turn When Pushed

**Okay! I am back.**

* * *

The fewer clandestine meetings we can have, the safer we will all be. We know that Celeste must be involved, but as neither of us yet know which face she wears, we must be careful.

"I think the most likely candidate is Sophie Deveruax," Klaus says.

I shake my head. "Celeste tends to be more subtle and I don't think she would choose the same witch family twice. She's already inhabited a Deveruax witch." My tone turns dark as I remember what she did to the pack when she was said witch.

When Klaus and I part ways at that first meeting, he heads to inform Elijah that they will agree to the witch's terms and that Klaus will make peace with Marcel. The latter is one he is particularly against at first, but he is a strategist above all, and this is a necessary step to taking back New Orleans.

The Mikaelsons move into the plantation house that once belonged to Marcel's blood father. I enter the house through the back door the next day to discuss with the two brothers.

Elijah and Klaus are speaking quietly so as not to disturb Haley. "In addition to the secret weapon he uses to control the witches, Marcel has assembled a small army of vampires. Working together, we can destroy them from the inside," Elijah states.

"And what of Rebekah?" Klaus asks. "Has she stopped her pouting long enough to join the fun?"

Elijah's mouth forms a hard line. "She has made her disinterest quite clear.

"One too many times daggered and shoved in a box, I gather? Or perhaps she doesn't share your unwavering belief that I can be saved."

I lean in the doorway and speak. "Rebekah will get over it. She always does."

Elijah looks up in surprise. Klaus smiles in amusement at his brother's reaction and leans back against the covered piano. "You're alive," Elijah sputters out.

"You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily did you?"

He smiles softly at me then and welcomes me with open arms. "It's good to see you, Julia."

I give him one last squeeze before pulling away. "It's good to see you too."

Klaus rolls his eyes. "If you two are done, we have some pressing matters to get on with."

I nod. "Yes. I don't have long. We need to make this quick."

Elijah looks at us curiously. "You knew she was here?"

"She came to see me the other night. I believe she will once again prove to be a formidable ally."

Elijah raises an eyebrow. "Right. An ally," he says dryly.

I choose to ignore the implication. It has been so long, I do not know where Klaus and I stand. I wasn't quite sure where we stood even then. There is so much he doesn't know that could destroy any trust we still have. I've been married. I've had a child. He is about to have a baby. We're about to stage a coup. There's too much else to focus on at the moment.

I clear my throat. "Marcel is not as good at hiding his secrets as he thinks he is. The witches are not good at lying either. They hate Marcel because they feel he stole from them. His secret weapon. A young witch named Davina."

Already having heard this information from me the night before, Klaus looks at Elijah. "Marcel is keeping her somewhere and using her augmented powers to know when magic is being performed in the quarter. In addition, Marcel is uncomfortable with having two Original's back in town. Perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone."

"How do you mean, brother?"

"Marcel wants you as a sign of my willingness to cooperate. A gesture of good will."

"Marcel will no doubt give you to Davina once he has you. Marcel saved her. She trusts him. I doubt she knows just how he is using her. Even if she does, you being on the inside will provide an advantage," I explain.

Elijah seems to understand. "It makes sense." He looks at his brother. "I'm glad to see you are willing to communicate and work together rather than attempting to do this all yourself."

"Perhaps you're not the only one feeling nostalgic, brother." Klaus pulls a silver dagger out and steps toward Elijah.

They each rest a hand on each other's shoulders, as Klaus readys the weapon. Elijah looks towards me. "It's good to have you back."

"We've got a ways to go. I'm not back until our enemies are on their knees."

He nods and looks at Klaus. "Do it."

Klaus takes a breath to steel himself, and then plunges the dagger into Elijah's heart. The ashen color spreads up his neck quickly, his veins standing out as his eyes close and he slumps to the floor.

Once he is tucked away in the box that will be delivered to Marcel, I ask, "Do you think we should have told him about Celeste?"

Klaus shakes his head. "Not yet. I need him to be focused."

"Right." I pause and glance at the clock. "I need to go. I've been here too long as it is."

"Right. Yes."

We both pause as we look at each other before I turn on my heel and make my silent exit out the back. I huff a sigh of relief when I make it home without incident.

A few days later I receive a call. "Hello, Love."

I roll my eyes and try not to be affected by the sound of his voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'd thought you'd like to know, if you don't already. My sister is here. She's looking for Elijah."

I adjust the phone to my other ear. "That could prove to be problematic."

"Just what I was thinking," he says in that way of his. The tone I have come to associate with scheming.

"Now don't do anything rash."

"I'm not inclined to involve her," he says lowly.

I hum in agreement. "Nor am I." I sigh. "But she's going to press. You may need to give her something. Anything really."

"As long as it keeps her out of my way."

"Has she meddled?"

"She killed some of Marcel's nightwalkers and I need to find a way to explain that. Not to mention the vampires that came after Hayley."

I stiffen in surprise. "How did they find out about her? I though we agreed she should stay out of sight."

"Yes well she didn't listen did she," he says with more anger than I've heard in a very very long time. "She had to go off to a bloody witch shop as she contemplated killing my child." He pauses while I digest what he just told me. "She didn't," he says more softly.

I breathe a sigh of relief. "That's...good. That's a lot but I'm glad. But it doesn't surprise me. Wolves are fiercely loyal. Mothers even more so." I swallow and make a decision. "I'll set someone to keep an eye on her. You can't be everywhere at once."

"No. I suppose I can't.

When we disconnect the call I turn back to the wolf standing behind me and kneel before it. His head nudges into me as a gesture of comfort and understanding.

"I need you to keep an eye on Hayley as much as you can. And...eventually I know she'll want answers. It will be good if she begins to build a connection or a trust in us sooner rather than later."

The wolf doesn't need to answer me with words. Not when I helped raise him.

I stay out of events in the quarter as much as I possibly can. Klaus sends the occasional update via text and I can't help but marvel at the advancements technology has made in the last century. Such devices would've been quite useful back in the day.

He's not the only one that keeps me abreast. Father Kieran informs me when Rebekah enters his church. He reveals that Marcel had made a home in his attic and it's then that I realize where Davina is being kept. Before I find the chance to inform Klaus in a way that I think would keep him from acting hastily, he already has a plan and things are set in motion. He informs me that he had a chat with the powerful witch child and I hope by chat he means something that involves discussion and not threats.

A few days later I receive a text. _Hayley thinks it's a girl._

I smile at the thought of Klaus holding his newborn daughter. I can't say it's not a thought that's crossed my mind before.


	7. Chapter 7: A First Time for Everything

**I will freaking go down with my own ship. *nervous laughter***

* * *

You never forget the first. It becomes burned in your memory in such a way that every sense is set into overdrive. The sight. The sound. The smell. Every feeling in every pore of your body. That first taste leaves you shaken and broken in a way that makes it seem impossible to ever go back.

And it is.

Few things are impossible in this world. But going back to being the person you were before is. You will never be the same. And every time it happens after that becomes easier. They blur together. There is nothing left that exists except you and the steady heartbeat within yourself.

Hayley is disorientated terribly when the alpha and I finish with her captors. My sword remains in my slightly loosened grip as I remain alert for more threats. Her attention remains fixated on the glowing eyes of the creature, completely ignoring the fact that a dark hooded figure cut down the men around her as well.

She manages to stand and stagger away in the direction of help. I text Klaus. _She's alive. A little shaken. Out in the bayou. I'm sure you can take it from here._

I wasn't surprised when the intel came in saying that Hayley was attacked at the remote doctors office after hours. I was somewhat surprised at how well she held her own, but I suppose I shouldn't have been. Lone wolves tend to become formidable in their own right. They become used to watching their own backs.

I can't deny that I understand to some degree what attracted Klaus to her. I am still uncertain where they stand, but I get the sense that they have some kind of understanding, and so I resolve myself to remain indifferent. There's too much else to focus on anyway.

I look back to the carnage around me. Fallen witches with their throats slit and bodies still and lifeless.

I pull a cloth from my pocket and slowly run it across my blade to wipe it clean of this latest encounter with blood. But...you never forget the first.

"_Mphhhhh," Marcel's muffled cry pulls me from my room, and I am careful to remain as silent as possible as I peer into the hall. _

_A group of rogue vampires, taking advantage of Klaus's absence, drag Marcellus from his room, barefoot and struggling against vervain ropes and a vervain soaked rag stuffed into his mouth. _

_I turn away and rush to my closet, listening intently as I grab a sword and a stake that I keep on hand. "Quiet," I hear one of them hiss. I hear the distinct sound of one of them hitting him, hard. _

"_We need to move quickly."_

"_Are you sure this is going to work?" the first asks. _

"_It has to. He's been here a long time. He's got to know something." _

_Their backs are turned from me and they don't expect an attack. It seems to happen in slow motion. My sword is sharp and my strength is augmented by the fear and anger I feel toward them for hurting my son. I swing the sword out and across the back on the neck of the one closest to me. The cut is deep and nearly clean through and much too fatal for even a vampire's healing abilities to repair. His body stiffens slightly. Blood spurts out in several directions and then he falls to the floor completely limp as I turn with my momentum thrusting my elbow into the surprised face of the other vampire who has turned to react against me. _

_He staggers back disorientated. But only for a moment. He rushes me and I find myself raising the stake on instinct, him running himself through without me having to put forth much more effort. _

_His eyes widen in surprise as he looks down at the piece of wood gripped in my hand as it protrudes from his heart. His eyes raise back to mine and a small stream of blood exits the corner of his mouth as his skin turns ashen. _

_My hands shake slightly as he falls at my feet. Dead. _

"_Mphhhhh." Marcel grunts loudly. _

"_Marcellus!" I rush toward him and yank the rag from his mouth and use my rapier to cut through the ties that bind him. They release him with a steaming his and I am quick to offer my wrist for my blood to help him rejuvenate faster from the pain the vervain caused. _

"_Mother...are you alright?"_

_I hold him and look uncertainty at the two bodies next to us. "Yes," I decide. "As long as you're alright?"_

_He nods. "I think they thought I could tell them how to kill an Original. I don't know."_

"_Well...it's over now. We need to get them out of the hall before they stain my carpet." _

_He nods. "I'll fetch someone to take care of it."_

_He disappears down the stairs and I continue to sit and stare blankly at the man with a stake in his chest. It's odd, this feeling. Hallow. Numb. Yet relieved. They were the enemy. Anything beyond that is irrelevant. _

The next morning, as I sit with a cup of tea in deep contemplation, my phone buzzes alerting me to a text from a new number. _I believe I have been able to come to an understanding with Davina. _

I smile. It could only be Elijah. _Welcome back. _

_Who do we need to kill?_

It doesn't take long for him to respond. _Potentially everyone. But for now I think providing her with magical knowledge that she desperately needs in order to gain control will be enough. I plan to have her unlink Hayley from Sophie. _

_Excellent. Keep me posted. _

I set my phone to the side and lift my cup to my lips again. Nothing like tea and quiet to get the day started.

A couple of hours later, the phone rings with a number I have come to recognize flashing across it. I furrow my brow. He doesn't tend to call much. We've used texting as our main source of communication, but I answer it anyway. "It must be important."

"I need to find the witch elder. You have resources."

"Agnes? I'm sure I have the connections to find her. Was she behind the attack against Hayley the other night?"

"Yes. And the one today. She's trying to cause a miscarriage through Sophie," the anger in his voice is thick, even over the phone.

"The witches are even more divided on the subject than I thought. I was under the impression they were all using the child to try to have leverage over you."

"That was the case until one of the witches apparently had a vision that my child is going to bring death to all witches."

A chill runs down my spine and I stop breathing for a moment. "Who?" I ask quietly.

He pauses. "I know it's been a long time, but I like to think I recognize that you just drastically shifted tones."

"Who, Klaus?"

"Some witch named, Sabine I believe."

I can't help the smile that tugs at my lips. "She's given herself away."

"What do you…" he pauses in realization. "Celeste? You think Celeste is possessing Sabine?"

"I know it. She's given herself away." I laugh.

"The vision," I can hear the smile in his voice. "Celeste can be identified by her sight."

"Not hers. Mine. She stole it from me. Left me completely blind."

"As I recall, you never liked having those visions anyway…"

"_U.S. Is Voted Dry!" the headlines read. _

_I toss a coin at the kid with the papers and grab one as I rush back home. I burst into Nicklaus's study and hold it up. "You were right."_

_He smiles and reaches for the paper. "Of course I was."_

_I laugh. "And here I was thinking I was the only one with premonitions." The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. A long held secret no longer secret. A secret that I had feared Klaus knowing for years. I think perhaps becoming intimate with him was the dumbest thing I've ever done. _

_He raises an eyebrow at me. "You have premonitions?" A smirk starts to show. _

_I laugh nervously, trying to back track. "It's just a joke."_

"_Is that a lie?" he asks, stepping into my space and causing me to take a step back. My eyes widen at the promise I'm breaking if I lie to him. My end of the deal, broken. _

"_Umm," I say nervously as I find my back connecting with the wall. With nowhere else to go he is in my space and I have no escape. _

"_Can you see the future sweetheart?"_

_I swallow. "Sometimes." I look down. "I can't choose what I see. And often what I see is unclear because I'm missing pieces of the picture. Like reading the end of a book before you read the whole story. It doesn't make sense."_

_He lifts my chin and makes me look at him. His face contorted in what I label confusion. "You stand up against me without fear in nearly everything. The day I turned Marcellus, the day you helped him transition, you had me reeling with anger and confusion as you refused to back down. But not with this. You're afraid to stand with this. Why?"_

"_I…" I sputter. "I don't know. Because...because I don't want it. I don't want to be used for it. I can't help when they happen but I can ignore them if no one else knows...if no one else knows then they don't matter. And you...you can't…" I don't know what I'm trying to say. _

"_You don't like skipping to the end of the book."_

_I shake my head. _

"_And you're afraid I'll try to use them," he concludes. _

"_You'll try. But it won't work. Not having the full picture is worse than being blind to it. I can't control what I see anyway. You can't use my sight to actually see anything," I'm trying to convince him, already terrified. _

_His hands reach up to cup my face. "All this means is that you're even more special than I already thought you were. I…" he stops himself for a moment in concentration. "I believe you, when you say that you support me. For some reason I don't understand, I believe you. So...how about a deal?"_

_I smile at him hesitantly. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't make deals with the devil?"_

_He smiles more widely. "Kind of hard to make a deal with myself isn't it?"_

_I can't help laughing. "What do you propose?"_

"_If you promise to tell me of any visions that may pertain to my family or hint at the endangerment of my city, then I promise I will never ask you to try to see anything. I will never act on your visions without at least listening to what you have to say about it." He pauses and smirks. "Doesn't mean I won't still decide to act how I think is best."_

_I feel myself relaxing slightly against the wall as I take in his offer. If I am being honest, he has surprised me. Perhaps becoming intimate was not in fact the dumbest thing I've ever done. "Alright. Deal." _

_He smiles and ducks his head to kiss me as my hands reach up into his hair, causing us both to sigh in contentment. _

"You're right," I tell Klaus. "I never liked having them. But it was still a part of my senses and it was still painful and strange for it to all of a sudden be gone."

"At least it makes it easy to find Celeste. But she's not my concern right now. Agnes is," he reminds me.

"Right. Of course." I pause. I could handle it myself, but I need to keep my distance from the current events. I can't have Marcel or Celeste suspecting that Klaus and I are on speaking terms. I'll have to pass this off to Klaus completely. "Go see Father Kieran. He's part of the counsel these days."

"The counsel still exists?"

"Yes it does. Strictly human participants now," I smile as I respond. "But still just as effective and resourceful as they ever were."

"Excellent. I'll pay them a visit."

The call is abruptly cut off and I huff a sigh of frustration. Phone calls have just given him another way to be rude to people.


	8. Chapter 8:The Pleasure is Not Mine

**This is the longest chapter yet. Shout out to Sam! You are very welcome. :D I'm glad you're enjoying the story. **

* * *

I am startled awake in the middle of night as my cell phone rings loudly on the nightstand. I groan and answer, "Hello."

"Marcel was here, and now Hayley is missing," Klaus practically growls.

I sit straight up in bed. "How did he find out about her?"

"I don't know! Likely Rebekah. They've been sneaking around. Elijah and I are on our way to pay Marcel a visit. But I'm willing to bet he doesn't have her hidden at the compound."

"You need me to conduct an outside search," I conclude.

"If you would be so kind."

I roll my eyes at his tone. "You can cut the sarcasm. I'm already half-way out the door. Update me on how it goes with the boy."

This time I hang up on him and I find some satisfaction in it. But it's short lived. I have a pregnant werewolf girl to find.

When morning dawns I receive a message from Eve, informing me that Hayley had been spotted deeper in the Bayou in one of our more remote encampments. I myself like to stay closer to the city where I might keep an eye on things, but others prefer to be farther out where they feel protected in their isolation.

The part that trouble me is that Hayley was not alone, but was being forced against her will by another wolf. A hybrid by the look of it.

I'm quick to call Klaus back. "Let me guess. She's in the bayou with an unknown dark haired male who's fashion sense screams douche?"

I raise my eyebrow at Klaus's description. "I can't speak to his fashion sense, but as I understand it, he's taken her to one of my pack's old encampments. Not sure what he has planned yet but I'm willing to bet it's nothing good."

"Well Elijah is quite keen on finding her. You should see his face right now. He's quite determined."

I hear Elijah's voice as he chimes in. "I believe Klaus is simply trying to distract from the fact that he apparently killed this boy's mother, among some other crimes which are coming back to haunt us now. What did you say his name was again?"

"Tyler Lockwood," Klaus says with disdain. "I'll kill him myself."

"I'm headed that way and wouldn't mind a lift if you don't mind an audience."

No sooner is the sentence out of my mouth than is Klaus standing in front of me after running at full vamp speed. I try not to jump in surprise. I simply huff in mock irritation. "Did you just run off on Elijah?"

"He was being irritating," he says as he bends slightly in front of me as I climb up onto his back.

"Why do I get the feeling that you were the one irritating him?"

He smiles back at me impishly. "Because you know me love."

And then he's off and my eyes are tightly shut to keep from getting sick from moving at such insane speeds through the woods.

When we arrive, Klaus sets me down as silently as possible. I rest a hand on the hilt of my rapier as it rests on my hip. Klaus raises a finger to his lips to signal me to remain quiet which I nod to in agreement.

"Hayley!" the boy, Tyler, shouts. "Don't make this harder than it has to be! Give up now... I'll end it quick."

Klaus steps out from around the tree while I remain hidden. "Quite an offer! Though, not one I'll be extending."

Tyler tenses. "Klaus."

"Hello, Tyler. You look well! I aim to change that." I can hear the threatening smile in his voice. "Threatening a pregnant girl in order to exact revenge against me? I never expected you to sink so low. I admit, I'm impressed!

"Used to hang out with you. I guess something must have rubbed off."

I can hear them shift as Klaus maneuvers Tyler to be in between us.

"What would Caroline say if she saw what you've become?" Klaus goads. "Perhaps I'll ask her when I call her to tell her of your demise."

"Whatever happens to me, Caroline's _never_ going to stop hating you!" Tyler counters.

I don't know who Caroline is, but she seems to be a sore spot between them. She's as much a hot button for Klaus as she is for this Tyler person.

"Come on, mate! Give it a bit more effort! I want to enjoy myself."

Without a backwards glance, Tyler flashes past me. I look around the tree and Klaus's furious face morphs into amusement. "This should be fun," he says.

He begins to follow and I'm hot on his heels at my much slower pace. I want to ask, but my questions can wait.

"Is this your idea of revenge, Tyler?" I hear Klaus calls out as I begin to catch up. "A grueling game of hide-and-seek?"

I peer into the clearing and see Tyler stab Klaus with a stake through the chest. I hiss at the thought of the pain that's bound to cause. Klaus backhands Tyler at full strength before pulling the stake from his chest.

"Let's end this, shall we?"

Their eyes flash gold and fangs extend as they lunge at each other. They tackle each other down the hill, Tyler punching Klaus in the face before Klaus reaches up to catch him in a choke hold. By this point I am quite finished being an audience member.

"How dare you!" Klaus shouts at Tyler.

"I'm just getting started," Tyler says as he lifts a stake ready to plunge down into Klaus, only to suddenly be looking down at the sudden blade skewering him from behind.

I wrap my free arm around his neck and yank him back, my voice in his ear. "I believe that you'll find you're actually quite finished."

"Who the hell are you?"

He doesn't give me a chance to answer before he's throwing his head back into my face painfully. My hand doesn't release its grip on my sword and the blade slips out as I stagger back.

Klaus is up in a flash and has Tyler pinned to the wall of the shed next to us before I've completely shaken my disorientation.

"How rude of me not to make introductions. Tyler, Julia. Julia. This is Tyler."

"The pleasure is not mine," I say as I step up to Klaus's side, wiping blood from my nose.

"You've grown bloodthirsty. Perhaps it's best your mother didn't live to see you like this. It's sad, really. I thought I made you better. Turns out you're quite the disappointment."

"I guess I'm another one of your failures. Like how you _failed_ at making hybrids. How you _failed_ your family! Now it looks like you're going to fail your own kid!"

Klaus growls and thrusts his hand into Tyler's chest. "And thus ends your tedious little life. At least it was brief!"

Tyler gasps in pain before steeling himself. "Do it! You're never gonna break me! Only thing you can do is kill me, so go on! Go on, get it over with!

I cock my head as I look at Tyler's desperate eyes. I place a gentle hand on Klaus's shoulder. "He wants you to end his suffering." I smirk and lean up closer to his ear as I speak in a low voice that I know the hybrid child can still hear. "I think you've already broken him."

Klaus chuckles. "And now he's begging me to sweep away the shards of his shattered little life."

Tyler looks at me in confusion and hatred. "What are you? His newest lackey conquest? Already tossing Hayley to the side then?"

Klaus yanks his hand from his chest painfully and grips his neck instead.

"Death offers more peace than you deserve. It's better to let you live. And each morning, you will wake knowing your wretched existence continues only by HER will. Never mistake her for a lackey again. You will respect and fear her as is the right that she earned long before you were born."

Klaus leans in and his pupils dilate as he starts to compel him. "Now go, and live the rest of your days knowing that you are _nothing_ to me."

I tighten my hand on his arm. "You might send him home without speaking to anyone while he's on his way. He knows more about Hayley then I am comfortable with."

Klaus smiles. "Oh yes." He looks back at Tyler. "You see Tyler. This is why she's more than a lackey. She has a brain."

He tightens his hold. "Leave this place, speak to no one. Tell no one of Hayley's condition."

Klaus then releases him and we go to investigate the area. When I turn back, I'm not surprised to see that Tyler has already run off.

We head inside, expecting to see Haley, but we find the lifeless body of a man instead. Klaus kneels down and checks his eyes. The cause of death is easy enough to determine based on the heart tossed to the side. Klaus's face furrows in confusion. "He's a hybrid…"

I crouch down opposite him and look for myself. "Huh. One of yours then?"

He shakes his head. "No. He's not one of mine. I didn't sire him. How is that possible?"

"Perhaps we shouldn't have let Tyler go so quickly. No bet he'd be able to shed some light on the subject."

Klaus looks around and notices the zip tie, cut and discarded. He takes a deep breath in through his nose. "Hayley was here. Perhaps she can explain as well." His shoulders are tense and his face barely concealing the hurt, confusion and anger he is feeling.

I rub my sore nose. It's already healed but it will take a few more minutes for the feeling to come back to my face. Klaus looks at me in concern. "Are you hurt?"

"Nothing that won't be forgotten again in a minute or two." I pause and regard him. "His name was Dwayne I believe. I knew his parents. They were rather volatile werewolves. They had to be exiled long ago," I say sadly about the fallen hybrid.

"Well, he won't be a problem anymore."

"I never saw them as a problem. I exiled them so they could learn."

He smiles at me. "You have a bad habit of adopting children."

I laugh. "You're the one who brought Marcellus home."

Klaus cocks his head as he hears a sound in the distance that my still human ears cannot detect. "It would appear Elijah has found Hayley."

Klaus lifts Dwayne's body from the ground and stomps outside to meet them. "There you are! I see you've found our wandering stray. Perhaps you could shed some light on the situation. This appears to be a hybrid."

"His name was Dwayne," I hear Hayley answer as I lean into the doorway.

"And I didn't sire him. Any idea how that's possible?"

"As if you didn't know!" she starts to charge toward him, but Elijah holds her back. He looks towards me.

"Julia."

I smile and step around Klaus. "Elijah . Glad to have you back to the land of the living."

I look over his shoulder at Hayley as I embrace him. This isn't exactly how I wanted to meet her but it can't be helped. She looks at me in confusion and what I can only label as the barest hint of jealousy. I pull away from Elijah and step toward her. I smile in the most disarming way I can. "You look so much like your mother."

"You knew my mother?" she says, taken aback.

I nod. "I did."

Klaus interrupts. "Well now that it's established we all know each other, I would like to know what it is I'm supposed to already know."

"Tyler Lockwood brought Hayley here to test a theory," Elijah states. "That the blood of her child could be used to sire hybrids. He claims that you knew that. Furthermore, that you intended to use this knowledge to build an army."

I can tell by the look on his face that he had no idea. I am quick to his side and I grasp his hand. Whatever he was about to say dies on his lips. He looks at me and my heart breaks a little. "You don't have to prove anything."

He clenches his jaw and looks at Elijah. "You're quick to assume the worst and accuse me brother."

Elijah looks at me and then hand that Klaus is now clutching like a lifeline.

He sighs. "I don't mean to accuse you brother. But you can't deny that it is not out of the realm of possibilities that your previous actions have proven you might take this path."

"He didn't know, Elijah," I state firmly. "He couldn't have. And I feel I must ask the question of how Tyler even got the idea to test such a theory in the first place."

Hayley speaks up. "Apparently another witch had a vision about my baby. I'm getting sick of it."

I stiffen and look at Klaus as he looks at me.

"Maybe…" he starts.

I shake my head. "No. No. She practices ancestral magic. She wouldn't leave New Orleans. This was someone else."

Klaus's frustration builds in him and he hits the post in outrage. I start pacing slightly, trying to think of what to do next.

"Who are we talking about?" Elijah asks.

"The witch who cursed me," I respond absentmindedly.

"But that was over two hundred years ago," Elijah says in confusion.

I ignore him for the moment to focus on the issue. I turn to Klaus. "There must be a way to block her out of the seer sight. We can't have witches left and right seeing dark prophecies about this little girl. I wasn't good at it. I never really learned to control my abilities, but I have heard of it being done before. Never for something this big. But if we can stop any more visions from occurring to these witches, then we can actually do some effective damage control."

"I'm assuming we'll need a witch to perform whatever necessary spell."

"Yes. Yes, and for something as big as trying to hide the future of an entire person? It's going to need to be someone extremely powerful."

I look at Elijah. "Please tell me that you made enough peace with Davina that she may be willing to do something like this?"

Elijah looks thoughtful. "I'll see what I can do."

"Ms. Julia!" Eve rushes out of the woods towards me and into my arms.

"Eve!" I look at her in concern. "Are you alright?"

She nods. "I found what you asked for." She hands me a worn bible.

I smile and brush some hair out of her face. "Thank you." I turn to Hayley. "This belongs to you. When you're ready, we'll talk about it. In the meantime, I think it's best we get you out of these woods."

Klaus looks determined. "I'll get Hayley home. Elijah. I think the sooner you visit Davina the better."

"But…".

"No Hayley," Elijah interrupts. "My brother is right. We have to protect you and your daughter. The best way to do that is for me to go talk to Davina." He looks at Klaus. "Today...I trust my brother. Family above all."

Klaus nods his thanks and turns to me. "More than likely these visions they are having are all the result of the one conspiring against us. It wouldn't surprise me if she's spreading rumors."

"That...or the visions are real and being very poorly misinterpreted. And this would be why I wanted to make sure no one ever tried to use me for my sight. It's unreliable."

Klaus smiles in understanding. "I'll keep you posted."

With that, he is gone. And Elijah is not far behind. Leaving me in a place I once used to spend summers, with my own daughter playing by the waters edge.


	9. Chapter 9: When a Rumor Stirs

**Hello again! The response to this story is starting to slow down which I suppose is to be expected. That being said, I am going to try to keep the decent pace and rhythm that I seem to have already so that those of you who read but just don't tend to review aren't missing out on anything. I'm not going to hold this story hostage for ego boosts. ;P Besides, I am really looking forward to sharing what I have planned even if getting there takes time. So thank you to all of my lovely readers! Happy reading. :D**

* * *

I've been neglecting my rounds in the city with all of the drama that has been going on, so I make it a point to visit the Garden. What I learn is most disturbing to me.

"I have news," the raspy voice of Peter, one of the vampires I speak with, says.

"Well don't keep me in suspense."

"Marcel was here. And the Original was with him. The pretty one."

"Rebekah?"

"Yes." He struggles to swallow the little bit of blood I have brought him. "The way they were talking...they're going to try to bring down Klaus. Lock him up down here with the rest of us to rot."

The anger and disappointment I feel is deeper than any I've felt in a long time. "Anything said about me?"

"Marcel did mention that you knew too much. But that you had skipped town a long time ago. He hasn't seen you since that night you marched out after he cursed the pack you run with."

"Hmm. Perhaps it's time that changed." I look at him thoughtfully. "I think the time for freedom is fast approaching Peter. If Marcellus is planning something, I have to act quickly."

He forces a smile. "That's the best news I've heard in the last two decades."

To say that Klaus is furious about this turn of events would be an understatement. "Arghhh," he yells as he tosses a heavy oak chair across the room.

"Niklaus," Elijah chastises.

"Save it brother. Our little sister is conspiring against us, and all you can say is 'Niklaus'?!"

Elijah and I continue to sit calmly. "I had been hoping we could deal with our witch problem first. But I am afraid that the vampire problem is a little more pressing at the moment. We take the compound and then we have those resources."

"And what? Reveal our alliance?" Klaus inquires. "The whole point of keeping our cooperation private was to keep the witches in the dark."

"So once you have the kingdom back we stage a fight. We declare a false war between the vampires and the werewolves. It's not far fetched. The witches will think we are distracted and will be more likely to make a crucial mistake."

Klaus sighs and sits heavily in the seat across from me. "Then we divide and conquer. Elijah will stay here and continue keeping an eye on Hayley. I don't like it, but she is obviously most comfortable with you, and in her condition, stress is probably the last thing she needs."

Elijah seems to be surprised by the concern Klaus is showing. But I am not. It is clear to me that Klaus already loves the unborn child, and a grudging respect for the woman who carries her.

"Julia and I will face Marcel. I doubt he'll be expecting to see us standing together. I'm certain that he and Rebekah will be so unnerved by it that they will start to panic."

Given that Marcel knows that I know what really happened in 1919, I am certain that the panic they feel will be tremendous.

Hayley enters with one hand resting protectively over her stomach. I look up at her and smile. "Did you have a nice lunch with Eve?"

"Yes, thank you. But I don't understand," she says. "She won't tell me much about you. I gather that you've been around for longer than Marcel has. That you raised him like a son. Something that I had thought only Klaus did. But how did you come to the werewolves? To know my family?"

I shake my head. "A story for another time, dear. And it's a story that only I can tell. I am not a werewolf, and I didn't feel it was my place to tell you much about your people, just as Eve doesn't feel it's her place to tell you of me. But we will talk. I promise."

She nods and I am struck again by how much she looks like her mother.

_The relieved laughter in the room is contagious. A little girl with a patch of jet black hair finally cries for the first time as her father hands her to her mother. _

"_Oh. Hello there, Andrea Lebonair."_

_The parents coo over their new born daughter a little more before the father looks to the woman as my side. "Lana, would you like to see her?"_

_Lana's smile grows wide. "I would love to."_

_Father reaches down and begins to hand the little bundle over. "Meet you alpha, little one."_

_Lana laughs as the little girl's hand catches on her hair. "Oh aren't you precious." _

_She brings her over towards me and I smile down at her even as I try to keep a hold of the rambunctious two year old boy in my arms. Lana rolls her eyes. "Calm down, Baby Devil. Look. This is Andrea, the newest member of our pack."_

_He scrunches up his face and hides it in my neck, much to the amusement of all of the adults in the room. I smile at the proud parents. "She's beautiful. You made an amazing little girl."_

And now that amazing little girl is a full grown woman about to become a mother herself. Will wonders never cease?

I look back at Klaus and smirk. "I think perhaps it's time to put the rumor mill to good use. Word of my presence in the city is bound to make Marcel nervous."

Klaus smirks in return.

Elijah sighs. "I do wish that the two of you would try diplomacy first. Rebekah is bound to be happy to discover that Julia is alive and well."

"Somehow I doubt that Elijah. If you recall, Rebekah wasn't exactly peachy keen with me after being daggered for fifty-two years. She shut out Marcellus and me for a while. We never quite went back to the way we were before."

"Even still. War is a messy business."

"It is also inevitable, brother," Klaus reminds him. "We are already at war. The only thing left to do now, is to win."

And thus we continue planning. For the return of the king is imminent, and I will have Marcellus on his knees begging for my forgiveness.


	10. Chapter 10: Make Way for the King

**I'm a sucker for battle couples. *smirks***

* * *

Klaus goes in through the front door, but I turn to the back. Walking through my old kitchen is odd. Gone are the wood burning stoves and outdated equipment of the early 1900s. Replaced now with stainless steel appliances and state of the art utensils, the room has become colder somehow. Impersonal.

I walk through it and find the entrance to the courtyard. The vampires on either side of my vantage point give me an imperceptible nod. I smile. I am not without friends here.

"Klaus," Marcel says in greeting as the man enters the courtyard.

"You've been avoiding my calls."

"Little pissed off lately."

"Apologies for my behavior can come later. You have something of mine. I want it back."

Marcel holds up the silver dagger that we told Josh to get information about. Josh has played his part well. Marcel shouldn't have brought him to Davina as she was already beginning to form loyalty to Elijah. "Sorry, but I can't do that," Marcel says as he turns the dagger over in his hands.

Rebekah enters the courtyard and takes the dagger from Marcel. Klaus makes a show of being surprised. "What is this?"

"Apologies for your behavior?" Rebekah scoffs. "You don't apologize, Nik. You just act. I've had enough. _We_ have had enough."

"Look at you. Finally in possession of the one thing that can take you down. How does it feel?"

"Great," she says emphatically.

Marcel whistles loudly and a dozen and half vampires emerge from the woodwork.

Klaus laughs. "So this is it? The evil bastard Klaus has gone too far, must be punished. And by his own sibling, nonetheless. How positively biblical. And you, Marcel, is this your idea of a hit? I taught you better than this paltry excuse for a take-down. Do you think you can subdue me with _this_!?"

I look at the vampires still near me. Marcel does in fact, know better. But it won't matter.

"No. But I think I can with this." He whistles again and more emerge from their vantage points. Now seems to be as good a time as any for me to make an entrance.

I walk out with my head held high. The vampires part for me to walk fully into the room. Some surprised to see me, others not knowing me, and some feigning their surprise.

Klaus spreads his arms wide and smiles as I come to stand by his side, while I look at Marcel and Rebekah with hard eyes.

Marcel swallows thickly.

Rebekah is startled. "Julia?"

I don't respond as Klaus begins to speak. "Let's end this charade, shall we? Vampires of New Orleans! Do recall that I am an Original. _A hybrid._ I cannot be killed. Eternity is an awfully long time. How long, do you think, Marcel will stay in power? What if one of you lot were to release me, knowing I will be eternally in your debt? Oh, I would pity those of you who dared to cross me. I can assure you, your ends would be _spectacular_."

"To borrow a trick from an old friend," he says as he holds up a large gold coin. "Whoever picks up _this coin_ gets to live."

He drops the coin to the ground and the sound echoes through the courtyard on the stone walls.

I look around the room. "For those of you who already stand with me," I smirk at Marcel as I speak and see the growing look of apprehension on his face. "You need not go for the coin. I know who you are. And I give you my assurance that Klaus does as well."

Klaus and I stare at them as Marcel shakes himself from his growing fear. "Anyone wants that coin, pledge allegiance to Klaus. Take it now. Go ahead. The choice is yours."

No one moves. But neither Klaus nor I are concerned. There's no way they win this fight.

"Take them," Marcel says lowly.

My sword comes out smoothly and wounds quickly, those who come at me. Klaus barely bats an eye at any of it either. In fact, by the look on his face, I would say he finds the first wave to be amusing.

The second is more challenging. He gets swarmed, while a handful of those who are loyal to me are quick to block me from any attack. They cover me as I make my way to the staircase. From that vantage point I have a bottleneck that my attackers are forced to enter, and it is easy to cut them down. But I needn't be too concerned about that. Most of Marcel's forces are concentrating on Klaus. The vampires that I have been whispering to for the last century stand aside, awaiting any signal from me. But I know I don't need to send one. Not when Klaus's eyes flash gold and and his smirk turns dangerous.

"Marcel! Come and finish this!" he roars.

One by one, two by two, vampires are dropped left and right. The chaos around me is kept clean as I continue to deter anyone from escaping to the second floor. Blood stains the cobblestones. Rebekah shakes as she grasps Marcel's arm and speaks to him until Marcel can't take it anymore.

"Enough!" Marcel shouts.

The room goes still.

Marcel kneels.

The coin leaves the ground and becomes clutched in his hand.

"Well, well, well. The great Marcel, self-proclaimed king of New Orleans, bowing before me."

I step up beside Klaus, wiping blood from my blade. I look down at my son, on his knees. "I did warn you, Marcellus."

"_...I will stand by and watch happily when the true king comes back for his throne. And when it's all said and done, and he has stripped you of every title you've ever stolen, I will have you on your knees begging for my forgiveness. And then maybe. Just maybe. I'll grant it to you."_

"I have nothing to apologize for," Marcel declares. He tosses the coin at Klaus's feet and looks up at him. "There. I hereby pledge my allegiance to you. You have the keys to my kingdom. It's yours."

Rebekah ends up staying at the Plantation while Klaus moves Hayley into the compound. Elijah joins him as well.

As for myself, I stay on for a few days. One of my first orders of business is freeing my friends in the Garden. Peter kisses my hand like the southern gentleman he was born to be around 80 years ago. Thierry is a tad sore toward Klaus and I for the part we had in his imprisonment, but in my last couple of visits I had assured him that his stint would not be long, and that he would be rewarded for his sacrifice for the betterment of the city.

Davina is moved into the compound as well, although she is not terribly pleased with this turn of events. As she is friends with Josh now, a fact that Elijah stumbled upon when he went to inquire about a seer sight cloaking spell for the Mikaelson baby, he is safe from coming to harm from either side of the vampire faction.

All in all, the transition of power happens much more smoothly than I would have expected. Even still, it wasn't part of the plan.

Klaus paces back and forth in front of the dead fire place while I sit with a book. It almost feels like old times.

"This wasn't part of the plan," he says in frustration.

"We can't help it if the pieces on the chessboard exercise their free will. There was always the possibility that we would have to adapt."

"The whole point of playing the long game though, was to keep you from getting exposed to Celeste too early. To keep our upper hand. Now we've played that card. And that is going to expose the wolves, which is also something that neither of us wanted. The vampires are going to need a peace offering."

I put the book down and look at him. "So we take me out of the equation. Manufacture an argument. I'll head into the woods and make sure all of the wolves are safe and taken care of. You do what you need to do."

"Set the vampires after them?"

"They won't be found unless they want to be found."

"Hayley won't like it."

"So communicate with her. If she knows what you're doing and why and that you have taken steps to ensure it won't bring any harm to anyone then there's not anything about that she can hate you for."

"Between her and Elijah there may be something they find to hate me for," he says with resentment.

"They do seem to be forming some sort of attachment."

His face reveals irritation.

"You disapprove?"

"I don't won't _my_ child to grow up calling _him_ father."

An old memory comes to mind. A time when Elijah and Marcel were once growing closer. That didn't end well for anyone, least of all Marcellus, who felt abandoned and tossed aside by an arrogant man. Meanwhile, Elijah suffered in the knowledge that while he loved Marcellus, he could not continue on for fear of angering Klaus. As such, he cut his ties to the boy.

"Do you remember when Elijah and Marcel were getting closer, and you got jealous and woke Kol who then went on a rampage?"

Klaus looks at me with exasperation. "I was not jealous."

I raise my eyebrow at him. "Even so, after you daggered Kol again, Elijah sacrificed his relationship with Marcel. Did you know that I had never seen him cry before that day? I held him all night while he sobbed because he couldn't understand why someone who showed love to him all of a sudden stopped." I pause for a moment to let that sink in. "Elijah isn't going to undermine your relationship with your daughter. He would sooner sacrifice his own happiness and die than do that. His relationship with Hayley will have nothing to do with his relationship with the little girl. He will love her, yes. But nothing will change the fact that she carries your blood and will call you father."

"So you see no harm in Elijah and Hayley forming an attachment?"

"Elijah is a grown man. He can make his own choices. And if it means Hayley will be kept happy and not feel the need to take your child and run to find happiness elsewhere? So be it. Unless, the issue is that you want to be with Hayley?"

Klaus smirks. "Now who's jealous."

I feel indignant at being called out. It was not my intention to let him have any idea at all that I still cared. Or that I still wanted him. "I am not jealous," I say. But I don't think either of us believes it.

We force ourselves to focus on the task at hand. To give the illusion of a divided house, that will appear to be a weak and easy target for Celeste to attack. For that to be effective however, the less people who know about it, the better.

"We could just weather it. Aren't you the one who always said that family is power?" he asks.

I shake my head. "It is power. But I'd rather force Celeste to tip her hand before we go charging in, guns blazing."

"I don't think I can handle Marcellus without you," he admits. I am surprised by this. "He's always been obstinate and stubborn. He's only gotten worse. You were always good at making him back down."

I sigh. "He's too independent these days. I've been trying for a century to get him to admit his mistakes and to stop being an idiot. It's not his mother he needs. He needs his father back."

"I was never really his father."

"Yes you were. Maybe he never called you that but can you blame him? In the end you were trying to treat him more like a friend then like a son. It's no wonder his ego inflated," I say as I roll my eyes.

"Oh so it's my fault he became a traitor and took this city in my absence?"

"No. It's both of our faults for not realizing that we had stopped being his parents. I've since learned it's not a job that you ever lose. Once a parent, always a parent. But right now he needs you. Not me. So do whatever it is you need to do. Just bond with him again. You need his support and that of the vampires still loyal to him if we're really going to pull this off," I begin to ramble. "Reign in the vampires. We'll bring in the wolves in due time. The witches will be harder. The humans won't be an easy task either. They have their deal with Marcel and they won't be pleased with a change in leadership."

"Let me worry about that. You just focus on the wolves. We'll call a dinner party. You can storm out, and we'll work everything out hopefully before Hayley gives birth."

That doesn't leave us with a very long time table.


	11. Chapter 11: The Truth in Every Lie

**Whoops! It's been a while. Thank y'all for your patience with me. And also I apologize in advance. I hate myself so much for this. But don't worry. I promise things will get better. You've been warned. **

* * *

What better way to stage a war between the werewolves and vampires, then for the leader of each to have a very public disagreement?

Klaus sets the stage for us by hosting a dinner party for the vampire elite.

"Let us begin with a toast to our shared gift: immortality," Klaus begins while raising a glass from the head of the table. "After a thousand years, one might expect life to be less keenly felt, for its beauties and its sorrows do diminish with time. But, as vampires, we feel more deeply than humans could possibly imagine."

The waiter around us calmly slit their wrists and fill the goblets with blood. Hayley watches somewhat uncomfortably from the foot of the table. I reach for her hand under the table as I am sitting to her right.

"Insatiable need, exquisite pain…" Klaus continues. "Our victories, and our defeats."

Diego raises his glass, "To New Orleans."

"To New Orleans!" We all drink to the city we call home.

"I understand that some of you may have questions regarding the recent change in leadership, and I invited you here tonight to assure you that you are not defeated. No, my intentions moving forward are to celebrate what we have. What Marcel, in fact, took and built for this true community of vampires," he places a hand on Marcel's shoulder, who sits to his left. Elijah continues to sit stoically to his right.

"What about them?" Diego gestures to Hayley and I. "The wolves."

"Contrary to popular belief, I am in fact, not a wolf." I stand from my seat to better address the table. "I am a human tied to the life lines of the Originals. Making me one of the few people in this room impossible to kill."

I release Diego from my steel gaze and look more amicably around the room. "But I speak as the wife of the late Alpha when I say that the wolves bare no ill will to the vampires. They want peace."

But Diego, ever predictable, won't leave well enough alone. He was there the night I marched into the compound after Marcel's horrid decision to reverse the plight of the crescent pack. I anticipate Diego to challenge me on that point. I, and Klaus, expect him to bring that fact up. I expect to become riled up against him. I expect Klaus to side with him and to come against me. I expect to walk out of the room with all of the previous steps taken accordingly.

But it does not go how I expect.

"You expect us to believe that you speak as the wife of the late Alpha? Your blood runs in the current Alpha's veins. You became more a werewolf than a triggered werewolf when you gave birth to your daughter," Diego sneers.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and I don't think in all my decades of life that I've seen a woman more scorned then you were the night Marcel had that witch curse the pack that you call family. So are you really going to stand there and talk of peace?"

I am taken aback, and my reaction is anything but calculated.

"You leave my daughter out of this. She has nothing to do with any of this."

"And yet last I heard, she was a well respected and powerful Alpha. Hell. She's been regarded as a powerful and influential pack member since she was a child."

I feel my skin start to grow hot as I attempt to contain myself. It wouldn't be good to jump across the table to throttle him at the moment. Even though I really want to.

Klaus is still trying to get over his shock and confusion, as Marcel grows ever more irritated before exploding with harsh words of his own. "Diego's right. You speak of peace and loyalty and all that, even after you turned around and immediately found yourself a new family. What was it? November when little Lana was born?" he spits her name and I find myself swallowing back angry tears. "I've done the math. You had to have gotten pregnant nearly immediately. And yet here you are acting like she has nothing to do with this. But did you ever wonder why I wanted the pack cursed in the first place? It was personal!"

"Silence!" Klaus finally speaks.

His hands grip the edge of the table as he leans over it. He looks up at me and his voice is somewhat quiet when he asks, "You have a daughter?"

I didn't want him to find out like this. I wanted to tell him myself when I was ready. When I could really explain everything. So much for keeping secrets. I can't stop the tear that falls when I nod.

"Is that what it was? You didn't stay for Marcellus. You didn't stay waiting for...for us to come home. You stayed for him? You said you didn't love him. Was that a lie?"

I swallow and shake my head. "That wasn't a lie."

"Lie!" His voice rises exponentially. He doesn't even bother to try to conceal the furry on his face. "The city crumbled around us and you ran back into it like you didn't have a choice and then what? You get married barely weeks later? Get pregnant days later? Or was it the other way around?! Shotgun wedding perhaps?"

This supposedly calculated and planned for argument is feeling more and more like it's full of real accusations and I for one am woefully unprepared for it.

But fine. If he wants to use this, then we'll use it.

"And what?! You just conveniently forgot that I couldn't die? You can't use the excuse that you thought I was dead. Oh no. You had to have known at least somewhere inside you. And it's okay for you to have a child but not me? Is that it? The high and mighty Klaus with his double standards. Fucking any woman he likes and expecting them to never look at another man. You don't get to judge me for living my life when you so clearly have been living yours," I say while gesturing to the pregnant girl next to me.

I shake my head. "I don't have to listen to this."

I push away from the table and begin to walk out.

Klaus's words cause me to pause. "It is not the same! It's been a century. One hundred years. By the sounds of it you didn't even wait one. Don't accuse me of having a double standard when you're not willing to admit your own."

I turn around him and look at him, hurt and angry and knowing that despite the fact that we wanted a fight to go down that neither of us expected it to be quite so real. "I lived my life with the cards that had been dealt to me. I was alone. Abandoned. Scared. I bluffed my way through decades in order to survive while you were off who knows where doing who knows what. The whole point to the political marriage I agreed to was to ensure that an heir was provided to the crescent pack so yes. I moved quickly. Such is the nature of politics. I would ask you not to judge me before you know the whole story but what would be the point? Your paranoid psychology would never believe me anyway."

"Get out," he says lowly.

"With pleasure."

I turn and walk out, feeling broken and defeated. I don't manage to hold my tears farther than a block from the compound. They flow freely and of their own volition.

I made a mistake in not telling Klaus. And it's a mistake that just might mean that Céleste has already won.


	12. Chapter 12: A Parent Should Never Know

**So sorry for all the angst. I promise things will start to get a bit better after this. Oof. Everyone grab some Kleenex for this chapter. I know I needed about a half a box just to write it. **

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I replay the argument over and over again in my head. Not telling Klaus about Lana that first night was a mistake. But I was waiting for the right time. For everything to calm down. To really discuss it. So many things caused me to make the wrong decision. Hayley's unforeseen pregnancy, the issues with Marcel and Rebekah, and the war brewing with the witches were all contributing factors. And now I don't know what will happen next.

As it turns out, what happens next is a sudden influx in earthquake activity.

Rebekah is the one who calls me.

"It's Davina."

"What's wrong with her?"

"According to Sophie, it's because the Harvest wasn't completed. All that magic is trapped inside her and has nowhere to go. All of that power is causing these disasters and it's only going to get worse. Marcel is beside himself with worry and the poor girl is terrified." Rebekah huffs a sigh. "Marcel won't admit it but...I think it would be really good if you were here."

The earth shakes again and I brace myself to keep from falling over.

I bring the phone back to my ear. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

By the time I arrive, the winds have picked up exponentially. Rebekah leads me to Davina's room, where Marcel is holding her close and speaking soothing words to her. Marcel looks up and sees me. He ducks his head again and holds Davina closer. "I'm so scared."

"I know honey. But we got to keep you calm." They administer a sedative, even though she doesn't want it. She's terrified and I feel for her.

Marcel guides me out of the room and into the hall. His hands shake and his voice trembles with the effort to not cry. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help her. She's dying and I can't...I can't…"

I take him into my arms and he sobs. I hold him close as he crumbles. The strength he's been putting on for Davina fades away into nothing.

Over his shoulder, I see Klaus round the corner. He stops in his tracks and regards us with a surprised expression that slowly softens.

After a few minutes, Marcel pulls himself back together again. "I have to get back to her."

I nod and hold a hand to his cheek. "You've got that look in your eye. The look of a protective father. And I know that at this moment all you want to do is keep her alive. And hopefully we can do that, but as a parent you have to know...there are some choices that you have to make sometimes that are so painful you'll think they'll kill you. But no matter what, you always do what's best for her. Always."

He swallows and nods before pulling away and entering the room again.

I lean against the wall and look up at the ceiling as Klaus comes to lean against the wall next to me. "We have to complete the ritual," he says.

I swallow. "I know," I whisper.

"That night...back in 1919...when he was on that stage. Bloody and broken. At that moment I felt like I would do anything." He pauses and swallows. "Anything to keep him alive."

I look at him and he looks at me. It's the first conversation we've had in a little over a week. We haven't had contact since the fight.

"I imagine he's feeling much like that at the moment. That he would do anything to keep her safe."

I nod. I look at the ground and swallow. "Lana...my daughter. Lana Nicole," I say softly and he looks at me with a clenched jaw, trying to wait patiently for me to speak, even though the subject is painful for us both. "I lost her."

My eyes sting and the tears start to spill over in my grief.

"She fought so hard, to be brave. She had that fight in her. That will, to never back down. She reminded me a lot of you."

The tears start to flow harder and I feel Klaus hesitant pull me in as I cry into his chest. My words are broken as I say, "A parent….a parent should never….never ever have to...to know. To know what...what it feels like…"

I gasp for breath as it becomes increasingly harder to control everything I'm feeling. "It should have…it should have been me. The parents…are supposed to die first."

He pulls me in tighter. "I'm sorry," he says softly.

Some time later I manage to get my emotions back under control. The numbness comes back. The resolve that even though everything has changed, it's always going to be one step in front of the other. "I'm sorry," I say. "I didn't tell you about her. I didn't know how too. I want to tell you all about her but…"

He takes my hand in his. "Julia."

I look up at him and find soft understanding in his eyes. "I couldn't speak Marcellus's name for many years after...after what happened. When you're ready to, we can talk about her. But we don't have to if you don't want to."

I swallow and nod. "Thank you." I pause and bite my lip. "Last week…"

He releases my hand and pulls away slightly but not a complete retreat. "We were both taken by surprise," I continue. "And we both got angry. Eventually we'll have to talk about it but right now isn't the time. We have enough to deal with at the moment. Let's just be thankful that it actually helped with the original plan."

His hesitant smirk at that last part makes me smile. "Yes. Yes it did."

Knowing that ritual must be completed, and then coming up with the means to go through it are two completely different things. But the hardest part is allowing Marcel to come to that conclusion.

Klaus and I enter the room together. Marcel sits at Davina's bedside holding her hand. The sedative is keeping her calm and less coherent than desirable, but it seems to be keeping the progression of things from getting too much worse too quickly.

Klaus places a hand on his son's shoulder. "Marcel…"

Marcel looks up and him and whatever he sees on Klaus's face makes him grow angry. "No. No we're not doing that."

"She is dying Marcel," Klaus reminds him.

"We can wait it out…"

Klaus has to hold Marcel back from becoming aggressive. "No, Marcel! We cannot. She is dying. She is dying and it's hurting her. The Harvest was working. By all accounts it was working. Which means there's a chance. A chance that she'll be okay in the end. But if we don't do this, then she dies anyway, and leaves a whole lot of destruction in her wake."

Marcel shakes his head in denial. "I promised her. I promised I would protect her. I have to protect her."

I look at the girl in the bed who I can tell is listening to every word. The wind outside howls ever louder. I go to Davina and sit by her on the bed, brushing the hair off of her damp forehead. She whimpers. "Shhh. It's okay honey."

"I have to do this don't I?" she whispers.

Marcel rushes back to her side and Klaus comes to stand at the foot of the bed. "I know it's not fair of us to ask you Davina," Klaus starts, "but we need you to grow up rather quickly today."

She looks up at Marcel as he starts to protest. "It's okay," she says.

"No. I failed you," he responds.

"I'll die whether I do this or not. I mean, now the only option is...is whether I take everyone with me. If you look at it that way, it's kind of selfish not to do it."

Marcel holds her close. "There has to be another way. This is not how it ends."

"And if it is... If this is all I have, I've had a lot. I had Monique, and I had Tim, and I had someone who fought for me from the moment you met me."

Marcel's eyes start to water, "Oh, Davina."

"Most people don't get that even if they live to be a hundred. Marcel, I want to do this. I can do this." She says it with more conviction than I would've expected from someone twice her age. I can't help but be a little proud of her.

Marcel stays with her to keep her calm while the Mikaelson siblings and I once again convene to discuss the matter at hand. Elijah's plan is unorthodox, and Rebekah is just as apprehensive as the rest of us. "It's taken one thousand years, but you've finally gone mad. Our own mother?"

"Yes, our beloved mother, who Niklaus has affectionately placed in a coffin in his basement...not daggered, but quite dead," Elijah responds.

"Well, she did try to kill us all," Klaus reminds us. Or rather reminds them. It's the first I've heard of it. I never had the pleasure of meeting her.

"Well, I say we put her to use and put her to rest once and for all," Elijah says. "Now if we bury our mother on land owned by one of her descendants, she becomes a New Orleans witch, and we, as her family, share in that ancestral magic."

Rebekah rolls her eyes. "We're vampires, Elijah. We can't practice magic. Or own property, for that matter."

"Yes. With regard to practicing magic, we can channel our mother's energy into Sophie so that she can complete the ritual. Unfortunately, that means we all have to participate in the ritual. And, as for owning property, not all of our mother's descendants are dead…"

Understanding dawns on me. "The baby."

Elijah nods. "The baby. The parish Tax Assessor's office is just steps outside of the Quarter. Hayley now holds the title to the plantation. So, if we bury our mother there, and we consecrate those grounds, we can finish the Harvest ritual."

Klaus barks a short laugh. "You're a bit of a mad genius, Elijah. Count me in."

"Am I the only one thinking?" Rebekah asks. "Our mother was the most powerful witch in history. If we bury her, we hand that power to our enemies to use against us."

"Given our circumstances, I hardly see that we have a choice, Rebekah."

She sighs in frustration. "I don't know why I bother. You two will just do what you want anyway."

"No. Our decision must be unanimous," Elijah states.

"This is not a democracy," Klaus reminds him.

"You're quite right. This is family."

The skies open up at that moment and begin to pour down more rain than the city had seen in most of its history.

"Water," I say absentmindedly. "The next sign's begun."

"Rebekah?" Elijah asks.

"Kill a demon today, face the devil tomorrow." Rebekah sighs in resignation. "Count me in."

Klaus smirks. "Well, this is no family reunion without our mother. I'll fetch her."

With the decisions made, I take my leave to go back to the Bayou. I have to make sure that my people are okay. That the wolves are keeping as safe as they can during the onslaught of supernatural storms.

When the fires suddenly blink out, I know that Davina is dead, and I can't help but feel Marcel's pain as keenly as my own. Especially when Rebekah's text comes through - _It didn't work. They're all still dead. _

My mind swims with painful memories.

"_Lana!" I shout as I run at full speed through the woods._

_Marcel had allowed a hunt. Vampires were spilling into the Bayou taking advantage of the wolves in their human form with the full moon high overhead. In the distance, I see the form of my daughter stumbling and slumping to the ground in pain._

_I rush forward even faster, and skid across the ground before grasping at my daughter with shaking hands. "Lana."_

_She looks up at me, blood dripping from the corner of her lips. "Mom," she gasps._

"_Shhh. Shhh. It's going to be okay." My hand brushes her hair out of her face._

"_Okay. Okay. Mom," she struggles to say._

"_You don't have to talk. It's okay. You're going to be fine."_

_She chokes on what seems to be a laugh. "No. But that's...that's...okay."_

"_MOM!"_

_My grandson runs full tilt toward us and falls by his mother's side. "Mom." He shakes in horror at the sight of his mother, broken and bleeding on the Bayou floor._

_"It's okay...Baby Devil," she says, lifting her hand toward his face. "You have...have to be...strong...now."_

_He shakes his head. "I can't. I can't."_

"_Yes you...can. Listen...to...to your gran."_

_My eyes overflow with tears as do his as he nods. "Okay. I will."_

"_Good." She looks up toward the sky. "The sun...is rising. The pack…"_

_He looks out into the woods. He has been raised to be their leader. That responsibility is fast approaching. "I can't lead them. Not like this. There will be anarchy amongst the wolves."_

_I swallow as my daughter grasps his arm. "I never...wanted you...you to feel that...pain."_

"_I have to. I have to turn." He looks up toward the sky that is slowly brightening. The pack is beginning to turn back to their wolf forms in the far distance. "I have to trigger my curse now." He goes to stand. Lana's hand tightens on his arm._

"_No. We...do not...take innocent lives...by...choice." She coughs violently, blood pouring to the ground._

_We both tighten our hold on her in concern. She gasps and looks back at her son. "I am...dying. You can...make it...quick."_

_His eyes widen in horror and he looks at me. "I..I…" He swallows thickly, a new set of tears falling. "I don't know if I can do that."_

"_You...must." She says. "The pack...needs an...an alpha...Anarchy...you said."_

"_Right."_

"_It's okay Baby," I say as gently as I can. "She is...she is in pain."_

_He nods in resignation and moves to situate himself behind her. I kneel in front of them and take my daughter's hands. "I...I love you, Lana Nicole."_

"_I love...love you too," she gasps._

_His arms wrap around her. His lips kiss the side of her temple. "Thank you so much for everything. I am so, so lucky that you were my mom. I love you."_

_She raises a shaking hand up toward his hand and rubs it in comfort. "I am...lucky...you were my...son. I will...always...love you."_

_He squeezes his eyes shut and positions his hands. I shut my eyes and my daughter holds my hands tighter._

_Snap!_

_Her hands go limp in mine._

I sit silently with my head in my hands. The makeshift gravestone before me taunting me with their emptiness. _Jaque Kenner is buried_ beside _Ida Kenner _a little off to my side.

But it's the stone directly in front of me that has the loudest silence. It leaves the deepest void.

_Here lies Lana Nicole - Beloved daughter, mother, and leader. _

The whole world seems too quiet after days like this...but that is something a parent should never have to know.


	13. Chapter 13: The Strength of Blood

**Oh boy. Little more background info on Julia's wolf family and some upcoming badassery. Yasss.**

**Shout out to Fanfic Addict who gave a guest review it really made my day! So thank you! :D I've got plenty more updates coming I've been picking up more hobbie sduring this quarebtine (what a world we live in) but writing is still my favorite. **

**Stay safe. Happy reading!**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

There is no doubt in my mind that Celeste somehow hijacked the Harvest power. All that is left to do is wait for her to tip her hand. When she does, we will be ready. In the meantime, I keep my head down and stay out of the business in the quarter. I don't want anything to do with it at the moment.

That resolve doesn't last long after a text from Rebekah: _Hayley wants to throw a party tonight during the full moon so she can meet her furry family. If you could spread the word. _

So I do, and that evening I find myself at the plantation house. My grandson walks with me as we head up the back steps.

"I barely remember her you know."

I smile at him. "And she doesn't remember you at all. I am sure it'll be fine."

We head into the kitchen and I smile as I see Hayley moving through the living room tidying up empty cups and beer bottles from around the room.

"I'll have to have a word with the youngsters. They should know how to clean up after themselves. Just because they're animals most of the time doesn't mean they get to act like animals tonight of all nights," I say, somewhat irritated at my pack's manners.

Hayley turns to me and smiles. "Julia!" She pulls me into a hug. "Thank you. I am so happy everyone could make it."

I pull back and motion towards the man slightly behind me. "Hayley, I'd like you to meet my grandson. Jackson."

"Hello Hayley. It's nice to see you again," Jackson smiles at her.

"You're the wolf who's been watching me," she says in realization.

"I gotta keep my eye on you. Precious cargo and all."

"Right. Gotta protect the miracle baby."

Jackson laughs. "That's only part of it, yes. But gotta protect you too. You're a Labonair. Part of the family." He shifts somewhat uncomfortably and looks at me for guidance. But I roll my eyes. He's an adult now. He can handle it.

"So you know me."

"Our parents knew each other," he says carefully. "They were of the same people, but not the same bloodline. Now, you know how pack hierarchy works, right? Everybody has their part to play, and... we had our part, too."

"What part was that?" she asks, looking at me and then him again.

Jackson shifts uncomfortably, "You...You were supposed to be my wife."

I clear my throat at the look of shock on Haley's face. "It wouldn't have been enforced. I would've made sure of that. It would've been a choice that both of you would have to make."

"You may not have had a choice, Gran. You have power yes but you know how insistent some people can be."

"I know it's a lot to take in, Haley," I say.

"You think? I just wanted to meet my family. I never imagined I'd meet my husband from some weird-ass arranged marriage."

"I guess you don't know about any of this works because there was never anyone around to teach you. The Crescents aren't just any pack of wolves. The bloodline goes back to the very beginning. Two families...yours and mine. I guess that makes us kind of a royalty."

"This is a joke, right? I mean, if you're royalty, where's the throne?"

"New Orleans used to be our town, and we lost it all because of some in-fighting. The vampires came after us, and if our families were united, we could've taken them. So, our parents decided to bring the two lines back together, and... you and I were betrothed."

"Again, if it's not something you wanted, I would've fought against it," I reiterate.

Jackson just raises his brow at me. "And what about my parents hmm?"

I sigh. "We should all have a seat."

We all move to sit on the couches to discuss further. "I'm sorry. This is ridiculous," Hayley says.

"Look, obviously things didn't work out the way anyone thought they would," Jackson states. "Our pack made a huge misstep with the vampires when we refused to back down, and Marcel had us cursed by a witch. You are the last one of your bloodline, Andréa. Or Hayley, whatever you call yourself. These people will follow you. You can help them...you and what you represent."

"And what is that exactly?" she asks.

"A time when things were different. A time when we all worked together."

"But we must remember that times have changed," I say sternly. "I understand the advantage of a political marriage. I agreed to one myself. But it was my choice."

I take a breath. "And your mother," I say to Jackson, "she had a choice too. She understood that having an heir was the important thing. She was unconventional."

He smiles sadly. "That she was."

My daughter was fiercely brave. A trait that she passed to her son. I can't think of that bravery without thinking of the night she died.

_Lana raises a shaking hand up toward his hand and rubs it in comfort. "I am...lucky...you were my...son. I will...always...love you."_

_Jackson squeezes his eyes shut and positions his hands. I shut my eyes and my daughter holds my hands tighter. _

_Snap!_

_Her hands go limp in mine._

_Jackson releases his mother and moves away, leaning against a tree as he sobs in grief. I lay my daughter down, her face looks peaceful. I rise and take Jackson into my arms as we both cry. "Let it out," I say. "Just let it out." _

_As the sun crests over the horizon, Jackson starts to fold into himself in pain. "Ahhhh." He falls to the ground an the bones in his legs begin to snap. His back crunches and bends oddly, shaping his body into a wolf for the first time. I take his face in my hands. "Breathe. Just breathe through it. Don't fight it. Let it happen. That's it."_

_He whimpers as it becomes more intense. Not fighting it allows him to move faster. To give into the wolf with less pain and torture than otherwise. When his eyes glow gold with that animal intelligence, I can't help but feel proud of him for how strong he is being. The pack howls and I know that he will be recognized. That he will be a strong leader able to keep them in line just as his mother did, and his grandfather did before that. _

Hayley looks a little lost. "So wait...your mother never married?"

He shakes his head. "She had no interest in my father. They agreed to have me, but that's about all they ever agreed on. He was reckless in a way that my mother never wanted me to be exposed too. She was right. He got himself killed when I was very young. So you see? It doesn't matter. We don't have to follow through on anything. There are other ways to form alliances. Other ways to build trust. And after everything you went through to find us... You're the one who's gonna break our curse."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your witch friend. She told Eve she was coming here tonight to set us free."

My eyes widen as Hayley asks, "Wait, what witch friend?"

"Jackson...please tell me you didn't listen to a witch without consulting me."

Hayley's phone rings and she answers it quickly. "Elijah, something's going on with the witches."

She looks at us and blanches. "It's a trap. I didn't make a deal with any witch."

Jackson rubs a hand over his face. "I'm an idiot."

"I have to find Rebekah," Hayley says urgently.

We rush to the door but find that we are blocked at the threshold by a boundary spell. Hayley lifts the phone back to her ear. "Elijah, it's a spell. They're trapping us inside."

Flames begin to grow inside of the house. Jackson starts to panic slightly, throwing a piano stool at the window in an attempt to get out. More of the carpet and curtains catch fire and Jackson grabs a table cloth, pouring water from a vase onto it before offering it to Hayley's face. "Here. Breathe through this."

Elijah doesn't waste time as he rushes into the building, escaping with Hayley quickly as she begins coughing more. Jackson and I support each other as Elijah rushes back in to get us both out as well.

"I have to find Rebekah," Elijah says.

"You suspect someone has taken her?" I ask.

"I know it. Celeste gave me a choice. Rebekah, Klaus, or Hayley. We all know that wasn't really a choice."

I hands clench into fists and my teeth grind together. "Of course." I take a deep breath and calm the anger rising in me. "Go find Rebekah then. Jackson. Make sure Hayley's okay before you take your leave."

I begin to head back toward the Bayou. "What are you going to do?" Elijah asks.

I don't stop walking as I answer. "I'm going to pick a fight with a witch."


	14. Chapter 14: May the Blind See

**Warning: disturbing image ahead. I've marked around it with an asterisk (*) if you're squeamish but i doubt any of you are i f you're in this fandom. LOL. Sorry ive been gone so long. Life is busier than i expected it to be with everything going on in the world. Who knew?**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

I have no idea where they've been taken. I can only imagine that wherever they are, they aren't having a pleasant time. And I imagine that whatever plans Celeste has for them are painful and to a detrimental end.

"Mother…" A haggard looking Marcel comes toward me.

I finish securing the fingerless gloves on my wrists that make it easier to wield my sword and turn toward him. "Marcel," I greet him in response.

He swallows before slowly dropping a knee. "I...I am sorry. You were right. I didn't understand. Not until Davina. Everything changes when you have a child and I couldn't see through my jealousy. I have made...so, so many mistakes. And now Rebekah will pay for them."

I regard him thoughtfully. "Celeste has done something unexpected. What?"

He swallows. "There was a witch that Rebekah and I manipulated to help us. Back in the day. We used her to call...to call _him_. Celeste has brought her back and now...everything that Rebekah and I fought to keep hidden is about to be revealed. And worse...it will be revealed to Klaus."

I attach my sword to my hips and slightly turn away from him while I adjust the dagger strap on my opposite thigh.

He continues. "I am asking...no begging...that you forgive me. That you save Rebekah from Klaus. I was a fool but I understand. I know that he listens to you. You and he...I can't pretend that I understand what happened but there is obviously a bond there, whatever it is, and it has to be you. I can't stop him from killing her. And he will. You know he will."

I look back at him and shake my head. "You have been projecting your blood father onto him for too long. Family has always mattered to Klaus. And you were always his family. No parent is perfect and I won't deny that he made mistakes. But you have to stop convincing yourself that he is the bad guy. He was learning from his mistakes and then you made yours."

I stop and kneel before him. "I forgave you a long time ago Marcellus. I won't deny that I was hurt and angry but I will always be here for you. My son, my first child. I loved Lana with all of my heart but that doesn't mean that I loved you any less."

He nods and we stand together. "So will you help her?"

"Klaus and I have a bond, yes. And that bond started with you. OUR son. We shared that love for you. It was always rooted in family first. I don't have to save her Marcel. She is perfectly safe."

His eyes narrow. "You give him too much credit, Mother. If you don't do anything I will be forced to do something."

"No. You are going to trust me. You came to me for help. This is me helping. Now if you excuse me…" I shrug my jacket on and head toward the city. "There's somewhere I have to be."

_I stand across from Klaus in his room at the bed and breakfast. It's the first night I've seen him since everything went to hell. "There's a lot we will have to cover in a short amount of time. The longer we can keep everyone from knowing that we are working together, the better. There is something you need to know."_

_He nods once and sets another chair across the desk before sitting on his own. I take his cue and sit opposite of him. He leans back in his seat, the picture of nonchalance. "Well then," he smirks and rests his elbows on the arm rests before his fingertips come together. "Do tell."_

_"What do you remember about a witch named Celeste?"_

_"I seem to recall that she was a lover of Elijah at one point. What of her?"_

_"Yes," I reply. "She was killed when you redirected the blame of a string of deaths on the witches. She didn't take kindly to it, and somehow found a way to survive it, in mind only. It was she who cursed me to be tied to your family. Why I don't age or die."_

_"And what does she have to do with the current events?"_

_"Everything, I am afraid. She's alive, and she's stronger than ever. She stole my sight. I have no doubt that she knew that you would have a child one day. That she is the one who is manipulating events to drag you back to New Orleans. She is going to do everything in her power to take everything away from all of us. To utterly destroy us and I can only think of one way to keep that from happening."_

_"How?" he asks. _

_I take a deep and shaky breath. "I have to tell you what I discovered when I ran back into the fire for Marcellus."_

_He leans toward me. "What did you discover?"_

_I gulp down my pain at having to relive that day. "You must promise me that you will remain as calm as you can."_

_He smirks devilishly. "That bad hm?"_

_"Promise me," I say with force. _

_He nods. "You have my word."_

_"It was Marcel. And Rebekah. Who called for Mikael."_

As I march into the city I recall the look on his face. The furry that slowly built. The disbelief, the denial. The papers and ceramics on the desk that went flying to the floor before he clenched his fists and returned to his seat. I remember the accusatory tone he used on me when he asked why I didn't tell him sooner. I explained as calmly as I could what happened. How Marcel kept me locked away for a time so that I couldn't reveal to Klaus what I had discovered. How I realized in that time that I had to play the long game. I tell him of the night Celeste came to me.

_"Perhaps it is wishful thinking on my part, but there is a large part of me that believes that it is Celeste who arranged for the whole thing. I can't figure out how she did it, but I truly think that it was she who somehow convinced your sister and Marcel that they had no other option. That it was she who poisoned their minds and gave them the idea for the plan that they executed. All so when the time came, she could use that revelation against us in the most painful way possible."_

_He desperately wants to believe that to be true as much as I do. "The fact remains that they did do it. No magic in the world can truly make you do something so against your character. It was already in them to betray me. Even if this witch did somehow push them over the edge." He pauses and looks at me thoughtfully. "You expect Celeste to attempt to get me to murder them?"_

_"What better way to destroy you? To make you kill the man you called son. To kill your own sister? I've no doubt that Celeste will be itching to make you feel as guilt ridden and insane as possible. And she also expected me to keep it a secret. The way she was going on...I know that she expected me to choose protecting Marcellus from you, not realizing that the best way for me to do that is to in fact tell you the truth."_

_"She wanted you to lie to me. So that my anger would turn on you." He laughs. "Celeste has no idea who she is dealing with."_

_I smirk. "No. She does not."_

I go to Elijah. I tell him that he need not worry for his siblings. I tell him what I know. He groans in frustration and shock at the revelation of the betrayal and immediately wants to go to them. To stop them from being stupid. But I tell him that Klaus already knows and that there will be no issues.

I send Elijah to the spot within the cemetery that Celeste's original bones lay waiting in my trap before I head to the abandoned asylum.

"I expected to see Elijah...not you," Celeste says with a raised eyebrow.

"Surprise," I say with a smirk.

"Rebekah!" I hear Klaus shot from somewhere in the building. I smirk.

Celeste looks at me in growing unease.

"Rebekah dear! Your lover sent you some reinforcements!"

Celeste smiles. "You're choosing Marcel."

Rebekah stumbles in. "You bitch," she spits at the witch as she shuffles behind me.

I pull my sword.

I catch Klaus sliding up to the doorway from the corner of my eye, awaiting to see what I'll do.

"We don't pick sides in this family. We're all on the same side. Unfortunately for you…"

Even after all these years, Klaus can still read my mind. He is behind her in a flash, hand clamped over her mouth and arms pinned to her sides so that she has no time to say or do anything to stop me.

The tip of my sword rests just under her nose. "...you have found yourself siding against us. You make an enemy of one, you make an enemy of all. But I really should thank you. Were it not for you, I probably would have died a long time ago. Instead, you gave me a gift. The gift of time. But yours is up."

*I slowly shove my sword up her nose and into her skull. Her eyes widen in fear and then pain and then roll back into her head as I hit brain matter which cuts like warm butter. I don't stop until she slumps in Klaus's arms and he drops her to the floor as I slip my sword out of her skull. *

On the other side of the quarter, I know that she has jumped back to her own body and into Elijah's waiting arms where she will die by his much more merciful (probably) hand.

Rebekah looks on in shock and confusion. She cowers further behind me as Klaus looks toward her again.

He huffs and grinds his jaw for a moment before looking at me and then her again. "Rebekah…"

"I am so sorry Nik. I know that doesn't mean anything. It was stupid of me. And horrid. I was just so tired of having to fight you for the right to love who I choose."

"I relented Rebekah!" He sighs. "I just wanted you to be happy. I wanted to protect you and Marcellus from a rather messy heartbreak. And you went behind my back and betrayed me in the worst possible way."

"Nik…"

"No. Do you know how difficult it has been not to dagger you and throw you into a box? To not take our father's white oak stake and to use it on you? In the last couple of months it has taken all of my will power to play these witches games. But no more."

He steps toward her and she flinches as his hand grasps the back of her neck and their foreheads come to rest together. "But you are my sister. And we made a promise. Even if you saw fit to break it. Elijah will want me to forgive you. But I can't. Not yet."

He steps back. "You wanted to be free? Fine. Go. Be free of me. Don't bother calling for a while."

With that, he limps out the door.

Rebekah stands there in shock. She looks up at me.

Neither of us seem to know what to say.

I wrap her in a hug for a moment. "Please call from time to time. I'd like to know how you're doing occasionally. Especially if my son decides to join you."

She hesitantly hugs me back "I doubt he will. It wouldn't be the first time that he chooses something else over me."

"People change and grow Bex. You never know unless you talk to him."

I am relieved to hear from Rebekah later that night. _You were right. We are going to spend some time further north. Take care of Klaus, sister. _

A flash appears before my eyes and my senses gloss over as they focus on a moment in time I've never seen. Rebekah is smiling at me, Marcel by her side, and on their left hands gleam matching golden bands.

I stumble slightly as the image disappears.

The witch who stole my sight is dead, and I can once again see.


End file.
